Here's Lizzy enjoying a hot dog after her grueling 70 yard dash. When the starter said go, she kind of looked around confused (as did most of the two year olds). I finally grabbed her hand and helped her race to the finish line!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Friday, July 29, 2005
Papa Power
I don't know if this is true of other's families, but it sure is the truth in our family. Greg seems to have some power over the kids that I do not possess. He often can get them to do things that I cannot. He takes them in a room and talks to them and then they do it. I always say, "What did you tell them?". He says, "I just talked to them about it." Other times he makes up a silly game or whatever. Everything with papa is exciting and fun, and everything with mom is boring and tedious.
Greg really put his persuasive powers to the test last night though. He came home a little earlier than usual because he had to go back to work in the evening after work hours to put out a new computer system. Anyway the kids were of course excited (he also has this wild and crazy effect on the kids; whenever he comes home they start running and screaming). Things were beginning to escalate and it was time to sit down for dinner. We sat down and still things weren't settling down. So, Greg says, "Shh. Shh. Tonight we are going to have a very special quiet pancake dinner (yes, we were having pancakes for dinner). " Then he began to talk in a whisper and told the kids that we could only talk like that during dinner. He even had Lizzy pray in a whisper. Amazingly the kids went right along with it. Anna is the only one who even questioned it. You know the groan and the "Why do we have to....?" . Even she went along after Lizzy, Adam, and I all were doing it. Adam talked quite a bit, but he did it all in a whisper. Amazing. If I would have made that suggestion, I am not sure anyone would have even heard what I said! Well that is the mighty power of papa.
Greg really put his persuasive powers to the test last night though. He came home a little earlier than usual because he had to go back to work in the evening after work hours to put out a new computer system. Anyway the kids were of course excited (he also has this wild and crazy effect on the kids; whenever he comes home they start running and screaming). Things were beginning to escalate and it was time to sit down for dinner. We sat down and still things weren't settling down. So, Greg says, "Shh. Shh. Tonight we are going to have a very special quiet pancake dinner (yes, we were having pancakes for dinner). " Then he began to talk in a whisper and told the kids that we could only talk like that during dinner. He even had Lizzy pray in a whisper. Amazingly the kids went right along with it. Anna is the only one who even questioned it. You know the groan and the "Why do we have to....?" . Even she went along after Lizzy, Adam, and I all were doing it. Adam talked quite a bit, but he did it all in a whisper. Amazing. If I would have made that suggestion, I am not sure anyone would have even heard what I said! Well that is the mighty power of papa.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Motherhood and Ben
Well it has been a while since I have posted. I have felt buried lately, with little to no time to myself. Greg has been busy and gone a lot which means I am also busier, and my "job" lasts a little longer each day. There really are very few breaks when you are a mom, and I must say that has been truer than ever before with four children. I expect it rings even truer with each additional child. Man, am I tired.
Motherhood also has its perks though. I know I said I wanted to post about the other children (and I will), but Ben has been so cute lately, I had to let everyone know what he is doing right now. He is still getting around with his belly crawl (the marines would be proud to have our boy) with great speed. Lately he has started to get up on his knees more, and will go a few paces on his knees before flopping to his belly. He is also pulling some, and can move along the furniture, but I wouldn't exactly say he is cruising, it is more like shuffling. His favorite pastimes include grazing under the dining room table and playing on the fireplace (is this something we should discourage?). He is so full of smiles and laughs that it makes you happy just to be around him.
In addition to these things, he has added waving bye-bye and playing peek-a-boo to his repertoire. His wave is a fast and furious whole arm wave, but he is working on opening and closing his hand. His blanket peek-a-boo is great, but he is still working on doing it with his hands. Right now he usually only covers one of his eyes, but still finds great joy in playing. His enthusiasm for the game has also rekindled Lizzy's love for it, so they can entertain each other for quite a while, if I am even half way involved.
He is working on his top four, front teeth right now, which has messed up his sleeping habits a bit (part of the reason I am so tired). It sure does change a baby's look once he or she gets teeth. All in all he is seeming really grown up right now, and really he is. He will be one year old in like 6 or 7 weeks is all. This year has flown by. We love our Benner boy, and have enjoyed watching him grow so much this last little while.
Motherhood also has its perks though. I know I said I wanted to post about the other children (and I will), but Ben has been so cute lately, I had to let everyone know what he is doing right now. He is still getting around with his belly crawl (the marines would be proud to have our boy) with great speed. Lately he has started to get up on his knees more, and will go a few paces on his knees before flopping to his belly. He is also pulling some, and can move along the furniture, but I wouldn't exactly say he is cruising, it is more like shuffling. His favorite pastimes include grazing under the dining room table and playing on the fireplace (is this something we should discourage?). He is so full of smiles and laughs that it makes you happy just to be around him.
In addition to these things, he has added waving bye-bye and playing peek-a-boo to his repertoire. His wave is a fast and furious whole arm wave, but he is working on opening and closing his hand. His blanket peek-a-boo is great, but he is still working on doing it with his hands. Right now he usually only covers one of his eyes, but still finds great joy in playing. His enthusiasm for the game has also rekindled Lizzy's love for it, so they can entertain each other for quite a while, if I am even half way involved.
He is working on his top four, front teeth right now, which has messed up his sleeping habits a bit (part of the reason I am so tired). It sure does change a baby's look once he or she gets teeth. All in all he is seeming really grown up right now, and really he is. He will be one year old in like 6 or 7 weeks is all. This year has flown by. We love our Benner boy, and have enjoyed watching him grow so much this last little while.
Monday, July 25, 2005
eBay Blues Update
Just wanted to post an update on a previous post about our troubles with an eBay puchase. We had filed a claim through eBay/PayPal (the two companies have merged and so have their complaint processes). They, like us, were unable to contact the seller and ruled in our favor. Unfortunately, the limits of the eBay Buyer Protection Program are $175, so that was all they refunded us. [Something to keep in mind next time you're shopping for big ticket items on eBay.] Fortunately, we had used our Visa check card to make the purchase and Visa has a zero-liability policy for internet shopping. So our next step was to file a complaint through our bank. They promptly refunded the rest of our money while they continue the investigation. I expect that will be the last we hear of it. The seller, meantime, after robbing about 10 or 12 of us unsuspecting eBay shoppers, was kicked out of eBay. We won't know if eBay or Visa will take any further action against them. It was kind of a pain to go through all that. We did end up buying an armoire off eBay (are we foolish for trying again?). This time it was delivered on time and in good shape - plus it was $150 cheaper than the one we had so much trouble with. So, all's well that end's well I guess.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Dog Days and Long Nights
This has been the hottest, driest summer we've known here in Iowa. I remember summers like this in Kansas, but those miserable summers hadn't really made it this far north since we've lived here. All the grass has died and everything is brown (most people don't irrigate around here - usually no need). The only bright spot in all this is that I haven't had to mow in over a month.
A few weeks ago our stake was asked to provide a bunch of volunteers to the Nauvoo pageant. Tammy volunteered to coordinate that effort for our ward and did an excellent job! She was able to round up almost 80 volunteers from our ward to work this week. I figured I better do my part, so I've spent the last two evenings in Nauvoo. Aside from the extreme heat and the late nights, I had an awesome time.
On Wednesday me and a couple of others brought a group of 14 youth down and turned them loose in the parking lots. When we arrived in Nauvoo at 5:30 p.m. it was 98 degrees and 80% humidity (heat index around 108 degrees). Couple that with all the dust in the parking lot and you'd think it would have been a miserable night, but once you got used to the sweat and dirt, it really was a lot of fun. I think the youth all had a great time - it seems like the youth of our ward are more united than we've ever had - it's really fun to be with them when they're together. I was stationed at the entrance to the parking lot waving people in. That wasn't all that exciting until the show was over and I had to direct the hundreds of cars out into the street. A new and somewhat fun experience. I got home that night around 1:50 a.m. only to get up at 6:00 for work the next day.
After working a normal work day on Thursday, I headed back to Nauvoo, this time with a bunch of friends from the ward. We were all signed up to work security. The day was just as warm (I think they said it was 99 degrees when we started at 6:00) and being security we had to wear ties. It kind of reminded me of my Arizona missionary days. My assignment was to work in the cast area behind the stage and make sure that only cast and crew members went in there. It gave me a good chance to visit with some of the cast members. They have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the pageant this year and seem like a wonderful group of people. It was also interesting to watch the show from behind the stage - gives a new perspective to what all goes on in the production. I was fortunately able to keep my eyes open while driving home and we actually arrived home by 1:30 am (I think the adults were a little easier to round up than the youth the night before when it was time to head home).
All in all, it's been a fun, albeit very hot and tiring week. We've heard the heat indexes are going to be close to 115 over the weekend, so I think I'll be staying inside and reading a book (and maybe taking a nap) this weekend (Tammy finished the new Harry Potter book, so it's my turn).
A few weeks ago our stake was asked to provide a bunch of volunteers to the Nauvoo pageant. Tammy volunteered to coordinate that effort for our ward and did an excellent job! She was able to round up almost 80 volunteers from our ward to work this week. I figured I better do my part, so I've spent the last two evenings in Nauvoo. Aside from the extreme heat and the late nights, I had an awesome time.
On Wednesday me and a couple of others brought a group of 14 youth down and turned them loose in the parking lots. When we arrived in Nauvoo at 5:30 p.m. it was 98 degrees and 80% humidity (heat index around 108 degrees). Couple that with all the dust in the parking lot and you'd think it would have been a miserable night, but once you got used to the sweat and dirt, it really was a lot of fun. I think the youth all had a great time - it seems like the youth of our ward are more united than we've ever had - it's really fun to be with them when they're together. I was stationed at the entrance to the parking lot waving people in. That wasn't all that exciting until the show was over and I had to direct the hundreds of cars out into the street. A new and somewhat fun experience. I got home that night around 1:50 a.m. only to get up at 6:00 for work the next day.
After working a normal work day on Thursday, I headed back to Nauvoo, this time with a bunch of friends from the ward. We were all signed up to work security. The day was just as warm (I think they said it was 99 degrees when we started at 6:00) and being security we had to wear ties. It kind of reminded me of my Arizona missionary days. My assignment was to work in the cast area behind the stage and make sure that only cast and crew members went in there. It gave me a good chance to visit with some of the cast members. They have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the pageant this year and seem like a wonderful group of people. It was also interesting to watch the show from behind the stage - gives a new perspective to what all goes on in the production. I was fortunately able to keep my eyes open while driving home and we actually arrived home by 1:30 am (I think the adults were a little easier to round up than the youth the night before when it was time to head home).
All in all, it's been a fun, albeit very hot and tiring week. We've heard the heat indexes are going to be close to 115 over the weekend, so I think I'll be staying inside and reading a book (and maybe taking a nap) this weekend (Tammy finished the new Harry Potter book, so it's my turn).
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Anna update
I feel like I often report on the progress of Ben, but don't often say how the other kids are doing, so I thought I would talk about my sweet Anna. She is really growing up. She finally seems to be blossoming. She understands things around her more, and is finally getting some confidence (although slight) in the shadow of her older brother. She can be shy and she definitely likes to have some alone time each day, where she can be in her own little world. She can make anything into a toy, and will improvise when needed. She is very, very sweet. She is so much more aware of people's feelings than Adam has ever been and she will often help Lizzy when she is in need of attention, love, or whatever. She also has an amazing ability to get along with people. She seems to play well even with the hardest, craziest kids, and get along just fine. She is a quiet leader in that way. She always has something in her hand, either her green blankie or a toy of some sort, ready to pretend whatever needs pretending. She is very girly (she didn't get that from me!). She loves pink and purple. She loves princesses and princess dresses. Even though she is girly, she is very low maintanence. She likes her space. She is probably the easiest of our children to parent currently because she is so agreeable and easy to get along with. We sure love her. She brings a lot of sunshine into our home.
Friday, July 15, 2005
A flood of company
We've had a flood of company visiting with us the last couple of weeks. Starting on July 4th eve, we had a friend of ours stay with us a couple of nights. Then arrived Tammy's Auntie Ann, Aunt Sue, and three cousins - Mark, Pete, and Quin. We enjoyed their visit very much!
We spent Saturday with them in Nauvoo concluding the day with a visit to the new Nauvoo Pageant. The pre-show activities started a few hours before the show with a good old-fashioned 1840's celebration. There were tons of games for the kids (and everyone else) tug-of-war, gunnysack races, stick pulls, handcart races, square dances (with a live band), live entertainers, log saw races, and so on. We had a ball. Finally we settled in for the show. The pageant itself was much less of a pageant and more of a play than the old City of Joseph pageant. The stage and the cast were smaller than previous years. The story was more serious and pretty touching - it brought out much more plainly the trials that the original citizens of Nauvoo went through. All-in-all it was very good. It's showing through August 5th for anyone that can make the trip out to see it!
Ann, Sue and the boys stayed through Wednesday and we enjoyed their company very much. Thursday (yesterday) we had a new set of visitors arrive. Our stake is hosting a tri-stake youth conference. They've brought together 375 youth (ages 14-18) from the Peoria, Iowa City, and Davenport stakes to spend the weekend. We, along with many other families in the ward, volunteered to have some of them at our house. It's been a lot of fun. We ended up with some kids from Bloomington, IL. They're very well behaved and have been very considerate of our home. They will be here until tomorrow.
So, it's been a busy couple of weeks for us, but very fun at the same time.
We spent Saturday with them in Nauvoo concluding the day with a visit to the new Nauvoo Pageant. The pre-show activities started a few hours before the show with a good old-fashioned 1840's celebration. There were tons of games for the kids (and everyone else) tug-of-war, gunnysack races, stick pulls, handcart races, square dances (with a live band), live entertainers, log saw races, and so on. We had a ball. Finally we settled in for the show. The pageant itself was much less of a pageant and more of a play than the old City of Joseph pageant. The stage and the cast were smaller than previous years. The story was more serious and pretty touching - it brought out much more plainly the trials that the original citizens of Nauvoo went through. All-in-all it was very good. It's showing through August 5th for anyone that can make the trip out to see it!
Ann, Sue and the boys stayed through Wednesday and we enjoyed their company very much. Thursday (yesterday) we had a new set of visitors arrive. Our stake is hosting a tri-stake youth conference. They've brought together 375 youth (ages 14-18) from the Peoria, Iowa City, and Davenport stakes to spend the weekend. We, along with many other families in the ward, volunteered to have some of them at our house. It's been a lot of fun. We ended up with some kids from Bloomington, IL. They're very well behaved and have been very considerate of our home. They will be here until tomorrow.
So, it's been a busy couple of weeks for us, but very fun at the same time.
Well, this shot didn't turn out so well, but I promised Ann and Sue that they would make it to the Internet and this is the only shot I got of them. They were kind enough to get the kids some toys while they were here (including Adam's long-coveted indoor basketball hoop). Here the sister's are working together to assemble it.
This is a picture along the Mississippi. While we were in Nauvoo, the girls got some bonnets to wear. This is Anna (her favorite thing to do in Nauvoo is go to the river at the end of Parley Street). In the background are some lily pads that were just starting to bloom. There was also a couple of storks and a pelican flying around but I didn't catch either of them in the picture.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Old Fashioned Fourth of July
Well we had a wonderful 4th of July. Our little town of Bettendorf has a parade every year. We got an awesome spot to watch from. The weather was great. It was drizzly all morning and not the oppressive heat that we have had the last little while. The kids loved all the candy that was thrown out to them. We saw several people we knew in the parade (that made me realize we have lived here quite a while now, 7 years now). To top it all off, Greg and Lizzy made the 6 0'clock local news because they were having such a good time. I guess we looked like the All-American family. It was so enjoyable. Then we came home and had lunch and while the kids had quiet time Greg and I were able to read for a little bit (Adam helped entertain Ben, while the girls slept). Then Greg took the kids to a little carnival, where rides were only 50 cents and where the kids got a free jump rope. Ben and I stayed home so Ben could have a nap (I got to read some more!). Then we went to our friends house for hamburgers and hot dogs and root beer floats. We even managed to play a little Settlers of Catan while the kids played. Lastly we went to the city's fireworks display in the park. The finale was awesome. There were so many fireworks that went off at the same time. It seemed like someone had blown up an arsenal of them or something. It was such a great day. One of the most relaxing and fun days we have had in a long time. It was wonderful to just have fun for one day. We love our town and are so grateful for all of the family friendly events they have each year on the fourth of July, and other days of the year. Bettendorf, Iowa rocks man!!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
ebay blues
We (Tammy especially) have taken to shopping ebay a lot lately. After moving into the new house, we found that we were needing (or wanting) a few new things to put in the house. So we've been doing some bargain shopping and have bought quite a few nice things for cheap on ebay (and some other auction sites).
Unfortunately, the one thing that we really wanted (and was really rather expensive) has turned out to be a disaster. It's an armoire we were buying to put in the living room to hide the TV. Shipping included it was coming in around $400 (still much cheaper than we could buy a decent one locally). We paid the money (PayPal) and expected the shipment to arrive in a couple of weeks. Well, a couple of weeks went by and we never heard anything from the seller. Finally, 14 days after we had sent our $400, we got an email from the seller saying that the item was "out of stock" and asking if we wanted a refund or if we wanted to wait "indefinitely". We, of course, responded that we wanted the refund and they confirmed they would issue it "ASAP".
That was the last we ever heard from the seller. No refund. No emails. No response to our series of emails. It's been a month now since we sent the money. Apparently "ASAP" hasn't arrived yet. Before we bought, we had checked on the seller's profile. 50 or 60 sales with nothing but positive remarks, so we thought we were safe. Finally, yesterday, we filed a claim with PayPal hoping we can get our money back. We also went in to leave negative feedback on the seller's profile and found that at least 3 other buyers are going through the very same thing we are right now with the same seller.
So, we're hoping PayPal will bail us out and help us get our money back ... stay tuned ...
Unfortunately, the one thing that we really wanted (and was really rather expensive) has turned out to be a disaster. It's an armoire we were buying to put in the living room to hide the TV. Shipping included it was coming in around $400 (still much cheaper than we could buy a decent one locally). We paid the money (PayPal) and expected the shipment to arrive in a couple of weeks. Well, a couple of weeks went by and we never heard anything from the seller. Finally, 14 days after we had sent our $400, we got an email from the seller saying that the item was "out of stock" and asking if we wanted a refund or if we wanted to wait "indefinitely". We, of course, responded that we wanted the refund and they confirmed they would issue it "ASAP".
That was the last we ever heard from the seller. No refund. No emails. No response to our series of emails. It's been a month now since we sent the money. Apparently "ASAP" hasn't arrived yet. Before we bought, we had checked on the seller's profile. 50 or 60 sales with nothing but positive remarks, so we thought we were safe. Finally, yesterday, we filed a claim with PayPal hoping we can get our money back. We also went in to leave negative feedback on the seller's profile and found that at least 3 other buyers are going through the very same thing we are right now with the same seller.
So, we're hoping PayPal will bail us out and help us get our money back ... stay tuned ...
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Odds and Ends
Well, first I just wanted to let everyone know that Ben got his stitches out yesterday, where I had to explain to yet another doctor just what had happened. (Parents, try to avoid this situation at all costs!). Also, about 4 or 5 days ago Ben got his first tooth; it's in the front on the bottom. His other front bottom tooth is right there and should come through any day now. This is the earliest any of our kids have gotten teeth, and it has been pretty uneventful. Some fussiness, but compared to Adam who would run a 103 degree temp for 2 or 3 days with every tooth, this is nothing. Thank heavens. Ben has also started getting around on his belly even more, and his movements are now resembling the army crawl more. Unlike my brother's baby, Ben still puts everything in his mouth. Who knows what that kid has swallowed!
I had a little accident on Saturday. I was helping Lizzy down the stairs and just slipped. I twisted my knee up pretty bad, so life has required a few adjustments the last couple of days. It is starting to feel a little better, so hopefully it won't take too much longer to get back to normal. I am going to see someone about it today. Thanks to Greg for all he has done to take up the slack for me. Wouldn't you know it would be klutzy me to fall on the stairs, and NOT one of the kids.
It has been awful weather here lately. Totally hot, in the upper nineties, totally humid, and no rain. It has made the days seem longer because even the kids won't stay outside for long. Send some rain our way if you have any.
I had a little accident on Saturday. I was helping Lizzy down the stairs and just slipped. I twisted my knee up pretty bad, so life has required a few adjustments the last couple of days. It is starting to feel a little better, so hopefully it won't take too much longer to get back to normal. I am going to see someone about it today. Thanks to Greg for all he has done to take up the slack for me. Wouldn't you know it would be klutzy me to fall on the stairs, and NOT one of the kids.
It has been awful weather here lately. Totally hot, in the upper nineties, totally humid, and no rain. It has made the days seem longer because even the kids won't stay outside for long. Send some rain our way if you have any.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Ben Update
Well, I took Ben to the doctor for his 9 month checkup on Monday, so I thought it would be a good time to let everyone know how he is doing. Ben is happy and healthy. He was in the 10th percentile for both his height and his weight, weighing in at about 17 lb. 8 oz., or there abouts. Of course he is in the 90th percentile for his head. We like to think that means he'll be smart, right? He hates baby food and gags whenever I try to feed it to him. He really hates getting fed at all. He likes to be the one to feed himself, so he eats a lot of finger food. I have also given him a lot more of the food we eat, since he won't eat baby food (I can't say that I blame him). I am still nursing him and he has still been getting up about once a night (although the last two nights he has slept through the night). He is not crawling. He stills rolls a lot and he scoots on his belly to get where he wants to go. It is not like the army crawl, it is more like he is swimming, sort of reaching big with his arms and pushing with his feet. He wants to pull up, but since he hasn't mastered kneeling it is difficult. He is just a pleasant child. So sweet and smiley. He also has this funny hair, that will not lay down flat on the top in the back. It just sticks straight up. I am hoping that if it gets a little bit longer it will lay down. He is pretty quiet, but happy most of the time. He really likes watching what is going on around him (and there is a lot to watch around here). We are so thankful that he is healthy and that he is a part of our family.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Slicing up Baby Ben
Okay, so the title of this entry is a little morbid, but unfortunately it's true. Yesterday afternoon we were trying to get everything together to go to a party that some friends were hosting. It was going to be great - volleyball and badmitton, swimming for the kids, horseshoes for the old men (yeah - I had another birthday the other day) - a fun time for all! As we were racing around getting the potatoe salad finished up and and trying find everybody's shoes, we had left little Ben on the kitchen floor. A sudden loud screech from the kitchen stopped us all in our tracks. Little Ben was in trouble! Everyone ran to the kitchen to see what the commotion was about and the first thing that caught our attention was blood everywhere. Then I saw poor little Ben with blood litterally dripping from his hand, holding a lid from an aluminum can.
I grabbed him and carefully got the lid away from him, then rushed him to the sink to wash up. It quickly became apparent that the cut was bigger than just a little scratch, so we started to do what we could to get the bleeding to stop. After about 15 minutes of constant blood flow, we decided to call the doctor. "Keep a lot of pressure on it for a while and it should stop. If it doesn't stop - go to the emergency room." Well, pressure we had been applying, but we kept it up. Finally after about a half hour the blood finally stopped. So we got a bandage and tried to apply it only to see the finger start flowing with blood again. For the next two hours we repeated this routine. The blood would stop for a little while only to start up again a few minutes later.
Finally, we gave up and headed to the hospital. Ben ended up with two stitches right across the pad of his middle finger (probably not the most comfortable place for stitches!). We have to keep it bandaged up for a week or so, then the stitches can come out. Keeping it bandaged has proved to be quite a challenge - it usually only lasts a couple of hours at most before he's managed to pull it off. We've tried tying several fingers together and wrapping the bandage with tape, but somehow he always manages to get it off. Looking on the bright side - at least he's developing his small-motor skills!
So, needlesstosay, we missed our fun party (Adam was particularly distraught about that), and got to spend Ben's nine month birthday in the hospital. We did enjoy flamed broiled burgers on the way home (Burger King style), but it just wasn't quite the same.
Looking back, we realize it could have been much worse. We're lucky he escaped with just a sliced finger. Lesson learned: Don't leave your baby alone in a room with sharp metal objects on the floor (and don't leave your trash on the floor)! You'd think after four kids we would have learned that one already!
I grabbed him and carefully got the lid away from him, then rushed him to the sink to wash up. It quickly became apparent that the cut was bigger than just a little scratch, so we started to do what we could to get the bleeding to stop. After about 15 minutes of constant blood flow, we decided to call the doctor. "Keep a lot of pressure on it for a while and it should stop. If it doesn't stop - go to the emergency room." Well, pressure we had been applying, but we kept it up. Finally after about a half hour the blood finally stopped. So we got a bandage and tried to apply it only to see the finger start flowing with blood again. For the next two hours we repeated this routine. The blood would stop for a little while only to start up again a few minutes later.
Finally, we gave up and headed to the hospital. Ben ended up with two stitches right across the pad of his middle finger (probably not the most comfortable place for stitches!). We have to keep it bandaged up for a week or so, then the stitches can come out. Keeping it bandaged has proved to be quite a challenge - it usually only lasts a couple of hours at most before he's managed to pull it off. We've tried tying several fingers together and wrapping the bandage with tape, but somehow he always manages to get it off. Looking on the bright side - at least he's developing his small-motor skills!
So, needlesstosay, we missed our fun party (Adam was particularly distraught about that), and got to spend Ben's nine month birthday in the hospital. We did enjoy flamed broiled burgers on the way home (Burger King style), but it just wasn't quite the same.
Looking back, we realize it could have been much worse. We're lucky he escaped with just a sliced finger. Lesson learned: Don't leave your baby alone in a room with sharp metal objects on the floor (and don't leave your trash on the floor)! You'd think after four kids we would have learned that one already!
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