oreos and milk mixed with pediasure.

Where to begin? Not sure.

Well, how about that our little man is on one of the most desirable diets in the universe. Ice cream, Oreos, donuts, butter, lard, {dot, dot, dot}. No, really. He is. Bennett has struggled gaining weight due to some gastrointestinal issues. For a 4 month period he had CDiff, he struggled to sleep (I mean really struggled - inconsolable screaming for upwards of an hour about 12 times a night), pooped 6-12 times a day and was up against some bad, bad gas!!! He's always been an excellent eater and we have always worked hard to give him a healthy, balanced diet. So, you can imagine my surprise when the doctor said. "Let's try a high fat diet and let's put him on an appetite stimulant. What kind of high fat foods does he like?" I replied, "avocados, meat, peanut butter; you know, the healthy ones / ONLY ones I give him." He asked, "Does he like ice cream? Oreos?" My response: "Well, ya! He loves them!" His response: "Then give them to him three times a day." We left and went directly to the store to gather some super junky, super fatty foods for our baby. Odd. Yes, odd. But, 6 days later the scales finally read a different number... He gained a pound and a half!!! Amazing, right? Who would have thought searching every shelf at Smith's for the highest fat content item would pay off so quickly. Yay for Bennett and yay for donuts. We called to tell our parents the great news and after my dad shared our excitement he seemed a bit hesitant and asked "So, when do you turn it off?" Good question. The good news is that Bennett honestly prefers avocados and blueberries {"bibis"}.

Bennett's gassy sleep issues came to an abrupt end about a month ago. Over night, they stopped. Weirdest/best thing that has ever happened to us. Miraculous. The doctor told us, "I''m not sure what he had but it is the worst case of it I'd ever seen." We're not sure what it was either, but we are so thrilled he's grown out of it. So he now loves to sleep in his own crib, so much so that he won't go to sleep anywhere else! Funny how that works, huh? The other night after our bedtime routine, Bennett immediately climbed off my lap. I was fully prepared to jump up and chase him since I was sure he was just trying to run away from bedtime. Instead, he walked over to his crib and said "up peez." I honestly cried. My baby is growing up. My baby finally sleeps. My baby talks in twos.

Bennett is the funniest person I know. In the last month his personality has come to life - full force! He is talking like crazy and is on the go - literally. He started walking and hasn't stopped since. He is more than just reckless. He is out. of. control! It's like he is in his own little world made of balls, sticks, rocks and "dars" {cars}. He has absolutely no time to think about the wall he might run into or the pavement he might stumble on. His face has been bruised, bloodied and scraped more than once - and he doesn't seem to mind one bit. He has a mind of his own and is more determined and curious than ever. I love him. And for this very reason, this crazy kid of mine may never play sports - because his mother just may not be able to watch!

Speaking of sports, Bennett LOVES "base" {baseball}. Bennett won't sit for longer than 45 seconds to watch a Disney movie --- not for the life of him! But don't you worry, he'll sit still and watch 5 innings of baseball! He is his Daddy's baby! I can't even watch one inning without needing a substantial break. On top of that, his favorite book in the whole wide world is titled, "Touch'n'Feel Baseball." He brings it to us 15 times a day and says either "bo" {book} or "base"? And don't forget about Daddy's baseball games... Bennett loves to point out the "ba" and steal Daddy's hat! Brandon is in heaven, folks.

This summer we've had fun swimming, visiting the zoo, playing with friends and family, visiting Washington, getting crazy in Vegas {you know us} and much much more. I wish I had time to post the details. One day...

This year has been full of surprises - some good and some not so good. In the end and through it all we find ourselves lucky to have each other and to have such wonderful family and friends.