Benjamin - 3 months

Another month in the books. Its been a fun month and we have been settling into a good routine.

Benjamin took his second trip at about 8 weeks. He was great while we were in Copenhagen. He slept really well every night and was pretty low-maintenance during the day while we were sightseeing. He LOVES his sleeping bag in his car seat and will happily snuggle down and snooze for hours.  

We've been trying very hard to get both boys to nap and to bed at the same time. Benjamin prefers to go to bed around 9pm most nights and I've been slowly trying to put it earlier so we can have some kid-free time in the evenings. It's pretty unsuccessful most days but when it happens its truly magical.

I'm seeing a reoccurring theme in this post :) It's all about sleep. I think I'm just so pleased because up until now it's been a rare commodity around these parts. However, something has just clicked and Benjamin is a pretty good sleeper, once he's finally down. Most nights hes out from 10pm - 4am and then is back down until I wake him up around 8:30am. He LOVES to be swaddled and starts smiling and cooing once I start wrapping him up.

Is there anything more gorgeous than a sleeping baby!? I think not :)

Oh sibling love. It's a strange and wonderful thing. I think these two pictures wonderfully sum up my boy's relationship at this point. Most days Xander is a little bored and apathetic about Benjamin. But then...

Every once in a while I catch Xander being really sweet. Benjamin's nickname is "Bobby" because that's what it sounds like when Xander says "Hi Baby" :) Benjamin loves to watch Xander as he bounces off the walls. I'm sure he's planning on following in his brother's footsteps very soon. Oh dear!

They're basically twins. Benjamin is 2 months younger than Xander but much bigger. I mean...look at those loooooong legs!

We are lucky to have a beautiful beaches just minutes from our house here. There is a very short season when we actually get to enjoy them so we go whenever we can. We've been twice this month and it's been so much fun. Xander plays in the water. Benjamin snoozes in the sun. And mom and dad enjoy a few cold ones :)

Oh this kid just gets more fun by the day. He is so smiley and giggles so much.

Next month Benjamin will take his first trip to the US to meet all his family. I can't wait for everyone to get some love and cuddles from our little B.

Read Alexander's 3 month post HERE

Copenhagen - May 2016

We've tried to make the most of our proximity to the rest of Europe by traveling when ever possible. So with May 17th being a holiday here in Norway (more about that HERE) we decided to take a quick one hour flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. We wanted somewhere easy to get to and fun for kids since this would be our first trip with 2 kids in tow. And it's safe to say that Copenhagen did not disappoint!

Although the night before didn't go so smoothly (think midnight bath for poor Xander and 2 loads of laundry for his tired mother) everyone seemed to wake up feeling good and ready to travel.

Our flight was over-booked and we ended up sitting on opposite ends of the plane but it was totally fine because both kids were very well behaved! Although this was Xander's 28th flight (whoa!!) it was the first where he was really excited to be on a plane. He spent all morning talking about how he was going to go "up up UP UP UP!" in the plane.

We arrived at our flat near the heart of Copenhagen, dropped off our bags and set out to explore the neighborhood. There was a middle eastern festival with lots of food and music so we wandered around for a bit. Xander enjoyed watching the kids play soccer although he wanted to play too. He kept saying "Xander ball?"

Dinner that night was street tacos and nachos at Blue Tortilla grill just a block from our flat. The restaurant is run by a woman from Spain and they're famous for their homemade blue corn tortillas. We were pleasantly surprised to find such delicious tacos in Denmark!

The next day was Sunday and a lot placed were closed. Xander spent the morning playing in the playground in the rain across the street from our flat. Then we warmed up at lunch eating sliders the imaginatively named "Sliders". Luckily the burgers were more innovative than the restaurant's name and quite delicious!

Xander enjoyed looking out the window of the restaurant over a busy intersection. Lots of cars, bikes, and buses to watch and keep a busy toddler entertained.

After nap time we decided to hang around the flat and let Xander enjoy playing with all the toys! The owner has 2 small boys so it was packed with cars, balls, and even a train set!

They even had a high chair for Xander...which he only fell out of once! Whoops! 

The next morning we hopped on the metro and headed for the zoo.

Lions!

Things started to get a little bit more difficult at this point. And by "things" I mean the toddler. He was tired of sitting in his stroller which was basically the only option since we were using public transit the entire trip. So he ended up having quite a few public meltdowns. Fortunately he still wasn't short on smiles for the camera so maybe when I look back on this trip I can forget about that part!

Digger at an empty exhibit at the zoo...and probably Xander's favorite lol

Danish churros? Why not!

Our lunch at the zoo was surprisingly good (seeing a trend here?) Not pictured was the alcohol we washed it down with to make the toddler a tiny bit more bearable.

The next day we hit up the aquarium. Xander liked the fish but seemed to be most impressed with all the water (" a lot wawa") lol.

And after nap we went to Tivoli park. Quite possibly my favorite stop on the whole trip!

Xander was really too small for the rides but just walking around the park was fun. There was tons of cool architecture and green spaces for him to run around in, throw rocks, and chase the birds.

More wine for the parents...or as I like to call it, "red coffee" so I don't have to share it with the toddler.

2/3rds of my favorite boys...just chillin'

And more delicious food!

Candy floss (aka cotton candy) bigger than my head! Xander and I split it :)

And the subsequent sugar rush faces!

The next morning we had to pack up and catch the train for our flight back to Norway. Not before feeding the swans, ducks, pigeons, and sea gulls at the near by lake of course.

Farewell Copenhagen! Such a fun city! And in case you were wondering...we did in fact bring Benjamin :) Here's the only picture I took of him the entire time! Whoops!

Benjamin - 2 Months

Benjamin was 2 months old on May 6th. It's really amazing how fast babies grow at this stage. Last month he was just a cute little lump that didn't interact much. Now he's smiling and cooing and quite the little chunk!

If Benjamin is on Xander's level you can bet they'll be hanging out together. Usually Xander is good and he knows to be gentle with Benjamin. However, immediately after this picture was taken Xander gently put his foot on Benjamin's head, looked at me with a sneaky grin, and said "Gentle?" Ugh!

I'm not sure if B is going to be the water baby that his brother was. He seems to have a love/hate relationship with the bath right now. Sometimes he's cooing and kicking, other times he LOOSES HIS EVER LOVING MIND!

He does enjoy the warm cuddles after the bath though! I don't mind too much either!

So when we're at home B wants to be held non-stop and sleeps for 15-30 mins at a time MAX. But if we're out he sleeps the entire time! He loves his car seat and stays warm and snuggly in his down bag. We end up getting out of the house a lot because he's so much easier than when he's at home.

And this is how we survive days around this house. He HAS to be worn almost the entire day. I'm just thankful to be able to get some things done!

SMILES! We have smiles people! And that makes everything SO much easier. This kid loves to smile! And he's got some adorable dimples too! And thank you Martha for the gorgeous blanket! We all fight over it! :)

We went out for the first time as a family of 4 for my birthday. All my boys looked incredibly handsome and most of them behaved :)

 At 2 months Benjamin is tipping the scales at 12 lbs, which was Xander's weight when he was 4 months! I LOVE seeing his little chunk and knowing I don't have to worry about his weight like I did with Xander. He rapidly grew out of his newborn and 3 month clothes and I've already had to dig out 6 and 9 month clothes!

Can I be completely honest about something? While it was "love at first sight" for both my boys it took a few weeks to fall in love with them. Its like, there's this little thing that has all of a sudden joined your family and you have to get to know them, just like in any relationship. Well...I am now smitten with my little B! He's a terrible sleeper and an ton of work but I'm so in love and glad he's a part of our little party of 4!

Click HERE to read Alexander's 2 month post