Mouth Rollin'

Admittedly, this is probably not the safest thing to let a baby do. His two little teeth could take a beating, and I'd rather not make a trip to the ER to have splinters removed from his throat. However, in a safe, monitored environment, I felt like I had to get this on video.

Who needs another hand when you have your mouth!

Merry Christmas - 2011

It's been quite a year, and while it's not over yet, we just wanted to make sure to wish everyone an early Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

As you all know, we welcomed Jude into our lives on January 13th this year. It was an incredible day for us as a family, and since then each day has been better than the one before. We've watched our little baby grow into a little boy, and as we approach his 1st Birthday, he is standing on his own and just waiting for the right time to take those first steps. It's been quite a ride!

Jude was definitely the best thing to happen for us this year, but there were many other things that contributed to 2011 being a year we'll never forget. A trip to Cabo was bittersweet; a fantastic vacation and a ton of memories, but it was our first time away from Jude. We made up for that by taking our first official family vacation to Huntington Beach, CA. It was a bit chilly for a dip in the ocean, but it was a great family getaway.

We hosted many friends and family this year, and had great times with all of them. So many friends welcomed babies over the past 12-18 months it's hard to count, but we love seeing their progress on facebook and in person almost as much as we love seeing Jude's!.

We saw Paul McCartney in concert (twice) at Wrigley Field, crossing a BIG item off of or "must do" list. We also saw the Avett Brothers, and American English and several other acts at the Chicago Street Fests this Summer. We took full advantage of Baby's first Fall season and took a million pictures at multiple pumpkin patches, we made our annual trek to the Covered Bridge festival and capped off the Fall with a St. Louis Cardinals World Series win!

We hope you've enjoyed keeping up with the Bennet's on our little blog here. It's not always easy to find time to keep it up to date, but as long as people still enjoy seeing what we're up to, we'll keep it going. It's fun for us to look back at the posts this year and relive all the fun.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Round and Round We Go!

This child is on the move. I cannot keep up with him, even just doing laps around the island. He's sneaky and he's quick, potentially a lethal combination as he begins to walk. For now, at least he's keeping me in shape!

Touchdown!

And one more quick video for your enjoyment. Jude's new Touchdown celebration after he throws something. He hasn't quite figured out that you only really need to raise one arm to throw something, but then after he does, if you yell "Touchdown!", he'll raise both of them up again in celebration.

Score 7 for the little guy.

Throwing the Blue Donut

We present, Part 2 of the "Blue Donut Series". A while back, when Jude started crawling like a Walrus, we posted a video of him poking and chasing the blue donut (Click Here for that video).  Well, a little time has passed, and he is no longer having trouble tracking that thing down. In fact, now that he's mastered crawling and chasing, he has begun to throw....everything. More on that later...

Baby Travel Tips

As a follow up to the Family Vacation Post, just wanted to share some of the travel tips that we were advised on and came up with on our own. These would be mainly for kids one year and younger.

Travel Tips for Baby:

1. Check your carseat (it's free)
2. If you'd rather not haul a carseat to the airport, Rental car places will rent them out to you
3. Check your bags. It's expensive on some airlines, but you're going to be carrying a lot of crap. The less you are lugging on your shoulders and/or behind you through security and the airport, the better.
4. If your babe isn't too big yet, throw him in the Bjorn and walk through security that way. They'll just use the wand on you and you won't have to worry about your stroller.
5. If you bring a stroller, use an umbrella stroller. Much easier to get around, fold up, etc.
6. Gate check your stroller if you need it to get the baby to your gate
7. Pack lots of snacks, in separate baggies. We brought a lot of Cheerios, but also fresh fruit we had cut up ahead of time. 
8. Have baby sucking on his pacifier or eating a bottle upon takeoff and landing if possible. It helps with the ear popping
9. Bring a bottle of water on board (you'll have to buy it in the airport after security). You never know when you'll need it.
10. Having the middle and aisle seats was the best for our situation. You have to watch out for the beverage cart, but his feet could dangle over the aisle a little, and we were able to avoid bothering the person in the window seat. It's also easier to go to the bathroom for diaper changes. Once he's a bit older though, the window seat will probably be a must

*if your child is a bit older, some iPad apps they might enjoy are:

• SoundTouch
• I Hear Ewe
• Baby Aqua
• Color & Draw (John likes this one himself)

First Family Vacation; Huntington Beach, CA

"It's not a family vacation until the baby poops on the hotel room floor"

Last Wednesday, Nov 16th the Bennets hopped on a plane and headed for the original Surf City; Huntington Beach, CA. It was a quick, three night stay right on the beach and Pacific Coast Hwy 1 and a GREAT first family vacation.

The weather was a tad sketchy during our visit, with the temp hovering in the 60's most of the time. We did get a pretty good sunset on our last night there, and Jude got to get his feet wet in the ocean, so naturally, we took about 500 pictures (only a very slight exaggeration).

The first obstacle to maneuver was the plan ride there. It's a four hour flight from Chicago to Los Angeles. We did a lot of research beforehand, ensuring we carried on everything we might need to feed, clothe, hold and distract Jude. Thanks to our friends Jarod and Jessica Jostes for a great list of tips for traveling with baby as well as hot spots in SoCal.

Jude did fantastic on both flights. He got a two hour nap each way, and spent the rest of the time on our laps, playing with Mickey and learning how to use an iPad. It was a challenge at times keeping him preoccupied, but we had plenty of fruit and cheerios to satisfy him.

Some of the highlights for our trip:

•  We stayed at the Hyatt Huntington Beach, which was fantastic. You could easily spend three or four days here and never even leave
• We ate at some great restaurants, including The Sugar Shack and No Ka Oi. 
• We shopped it up on HB's Main Street, snagging some shirts for Jude to commemorate the trip
• We strolled along the famous Pier, and ate at Ruby's Diner, several hundred yards out into the Pacific Ocean
• The beach is great. It was a bit chilly while we were there, but it's beautiful all the same.
• We spent an afternoon in Hollywood, checking out the Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Kodak Theatre, etc. 
• We checked out Newport Beach, another neat little surf town with a great inner harbour

It was a great trip. We got back Saturday night and were also lucky enough to snag some Bears tickets for the game on Sunday. The Winter season is upon us, and with Thanksgiving just a day away, we remember that we are thankful to be able to spend this time with each other as a family, and for so much more.

Hot Diggity Dog! Posing with Mickey in Hollywood, and enjoying some brunch at Sugar Shack

Louis V? WawaWeewoo, and our Hotel Balcony, where we enjoyed wine and wearing robes. Ahh...

                                    Family pic on the Pier.      Enoying the Koi Pond beneath our hotel balcony

 Boys rocking their shades

 

The view of a Pacific Ocean sunset is best viewed from a Baby Bjorn. Just ask Jude...

The long and winding road back home. Just killing some time at the airport. Note Jude's shirt here - yes, that is a Kangaroo with boxing gloves on.

Trust Falls

Those familiar with the show Tosh.O will know the term "Trust Fall". It's when you approach someone and then out of nowhere just sort of fall into them, "trusting" that they will catch you.

We spent a few days last week in Huntington Beach, CA (blogpost coming soon). Jude fell in love with the super soft King sized bed we had in our room and got a little giddy bouncing around on it. For some reason he started standing up and just falling straight backwards onto the mattress. Either he loved how soft it was, or he really trusts his mom and dad....

10 Months Today

So, 10 months ago, almost to the hour, Jude was making his debut into this crazy world. As I sit here and write this, it's hard to even read that sentence out loud. To think that this time last year, Ashleigh was as round as the day is long and we were putting the finishing touches on the Nursery. Time sure does fly.

Here are some fun facts about the number 10:

-The Metric system (used pretty much everywhere except the US) is based on the number 10
- Alexander Hamilton is on the $10 bill, and Franklin Roosevelt is on the dime
- Virginia was the 10th state to enter the Union
- The traditional gift for a 10th Anniversary is tin (lame)
- John Tyler was the 10th President of the United States, but only because William Harrison died in office. James Polk was actually the 10th elected President
- The 10th letter of the alphabet is J.


Two months and Jude will be one year. Obviously, that will be something worth celebrating. In the meantime, it's one crazy, super-fast day at a time as we move into the Holiday Season. We continue to be thankful for so much in our lives, and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over the next couple months.

The Hot Dog Dance!

Jude has a tough time sitting still and watching his favorite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. But play a few notes of the the Hot Dog Dance song, and look who comes running (crawling) to see what's up...

Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tigger

Happy Halloween! Tis the season for dressing up like Ghouls, Goblins, Dragons and yes, sometimes even a Pregnant Treasure Troll. This year was all about Jude though.

There have been a lot of firsts, lately. First piece of pizza, first chicken nugget, first bites of hamburger, and now first Halloween. Still not quite ready to take on a big piece of candy all by himself, but Mom and Dad are fine helping out with that, so we took a nice long walk down Monroe Street last night and knocked on a few doors.

It was our first Halloween walking the streets for candy instead of crowding the bars for booze. In their own way, each of those scenarios is a lot of fun, but like we said, this year was all about Jude.

There were actually a ton of kids and parents out, another great surprise our the neighborhood we've really grown to love. Lots of young families with lots of young kids. There were plenty kids strollin' down the street instead of walking, just like Jude, but we dare to say none as handsome :).

 Ready to hit the road and snag some candy....but first a stop in the park

 THIS JUST IN......DRAGON SPOTTED IN SKINNER PARK!

 You may notice the this Dragon has a bit of a Tiger lining....more on that later

 First stop! Jude made out pretty good. Skittles and a sucker!

Pretty good luck with stops two and three, and then back home for a pit stop at Neil and Sidney's

Few people know this, but Dragons shed their skin each Halloween at 7pm to reveal another layer of amazingness. This Dragon happens to be the rarest of them all; the elusive Tiger Dragon

 Or should I say....Tigger Dragon

A Bennet Pregnancy: Beginning to End

As the saying goes; time flies when you're having fun. Never was this more true than during the 40 (actually 41) weeks it took to cook little Jude to the right temperature.

After spending hours sifting through the hundreds of photos we took over the course of those 10 months, we were able to put together a comprehensive slideshow of what a Bennet pregnancy looks (and sounds) like. Weddings, birthdays, camping, baseball games, and vacations. We captured it all in chronological order for our (and perhaps your) viewing pleasure.

Many friends and family are included in the video, as you all played such a big part during that amazing time. There was a lot of laughing and a lot of memories leading up to the birth of Jude. This helps us to preserve them. Enjoy....

Before you click play, know that this video is almost 20 minutes long. We told you it was comprehensive!

JB & JG, BFF's

I know, I know, the term 'BFF' gets thrown around A LOT. Especially when you get two babies together, they have to be "besties", right? Well, whatever you call it, seeing a couple of cuties like this together could even get Ken Griggs to smile (for those who don't know Ken, imagine a ginger haired Ebenezer Scrooge).

Thanks to the Girdlers for making time to swing by on their Saturday family trip to Brookfield Zoo. Always great to hang out with Brian, Brynn and little Jacob. The last time they visited, Jacob wasn't crawling and Jude couldn't even hold his head up. Man, time is flying...

THEN

 

 NOW

Whoa...how you do that? 

It's easy, just put your feet under you, and stand up.

Man that looks good

Dad, can I have one? 

Teamwork

Pretty sure Brian was doing one of his many impressions here. Jude is impressed.

playtime

Watch for FALLing Pumpkins

What a great time of year. This Fall in the Chicago area has been a gorgeous one. The temps have been mild, the sun has been out and the leaves have been beautiful.

A couple weeks ago Jude's Gigi (Great Grandma Waugh) made the trip up for some Jude time. While she was up here we made our way to Didier Farms, a pumpkin patch'ish sort of farm just up the road in Lincolnshire, IL. This place had it all; animals, carnival rides, hayrack rides, CAMEL rides, birds, food and yes, pumpkins. It was a great afternoon with another amazing weather day. And as always, we took about a million pictures (350 to be exact).

Here's some of our favorites, but trust, there are many, many more where these came from.