Benjamin 10 Months | DeRidder Family Photos

DeRidder Family Photos

I’m two weeks late on this one (again), but I’m going to try my best to keep the stories from the right month! The pictures actually got taken early though, because we were in North Carolina when Benjamin turned 10 months old. I intended to edit all these photos and have the post up on the right day, but when I can choose between editing photos and playing board games with family I don’t see often enough, I’m going to choose board games every time 😉

These is one story from this month that I will never forget. It’s the kind of story Benjamin is going to grow up hearing despite the fact that he won’t remember a bit of it. He and I were scheduled to fly back to North Carolina at the end of September so I could shoot a wedding and he could spend time with his Aunt Lauren, Uncle Matthew, and cousin Katelyn. The day we were supposed to fly out of Houston was the day Tropical Depression Imelda was unleashing her fury on southeast Texas. If you’re thinking about driving across very flat land in torrential rains, I do not recommend it. There was flooding everywhere, and if we had known how bad it was going to be we definitely would have made a different plan. As I was driving on country roads with water very near the roadway I never knew if I would have to turn back up ahead and then get stuck as the water rose behind me. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Though I did come to a four-way intersection at one point where two directions were blocked by flood waters, the third was the way I came from, and the fourth was the complete opposite direction of where I wanted to go. It was an adventure to say the least, but Benjamin was a champ and took better car naps than he ever has. We eventually made it to a hotel in College Station (which is nowhere near between my house and Houston) and made it to the airport the next day, but it was CRAZY. I’m thankful we were safe and for that little cafe at the corner of that intersection where we changed our flight and made hotel reservations.

The month we got to watch a lot of baseball since the Braves won their division and made it to the playoffs. Benjamin was only marginally interested, but he wore his braves onesie a lot (sorry mom!). She’s still bitter that the Braves beat our team, the Indians, in the world series in the 90s. But I don’t remember that, so I can be fans of both teams =)

We did travel to NC again this month for Stephen’s fall class, but I took so many photos that week that I’m thinking it needs to be a separate posts. Photos and stories from that trip coming soon!

• Benjamin is cruising like a champ now! He’s definitely getting stronger and the balance is coming, but not quite here yet.
• He loves pulling books off his bookshelf, and though he can’t see the top of his dresser or the table, he can pull things off the edge. One day he got his water cup down off the table and started drinking it!
• He’s started trying to climb, and while he can only successfully climb things that are a few inches off the ground, that doesn’t stop him from trying more ambitious conquests like the coffee table and couch.
• Benjamin learned to high five this month, though he still only does it sporadically.
• He hasn’t said many words aside from the occasional mama or dada, but it’s clear he knows a few more like “jump” and “bottle.”
• Still no teeth, though I feel like he’s been teething forever. They’ll come eventually, little guy!