More catching up

I'm so sorry to be neglecting Ben's blog! More little things to report:

- Ben wouldn't really let the audiologist finish her tests because he didn't want things stuck in his ears. But she said he seemed fine from what she did accomplish.

- If I ask Ben if he can say Mommy, he says Mum, and if I ask him if he can say Daddy he says Da. Of course he'll also say Ba and Ga (ball and car), and I asked him to say A and B and he did pretty well. He won't say C yet. I think if I spent more time with him and if we worked more with him, he'd know more words. He has to be in the right mood, of course.

- I taught him to nod to say yes one night and the next morning I asked him if he wanted cereal for breakfast and he nodded!

- He can pick up and carry two small balls in one hand. That seems like a difficult task to me.

- Ben was very excited to see a fruit bouquet in Kansas City. Joyce and Marybelle brought it and it was yummy. The bouquet stayed upstairs on a low table where Ben could almost reach, and he must have made 12 trips from the kitchen with a piece of fruit, down the stairs and into the living room to enjoy the fruit with the people sitting down there, and then back up to get another piece. It's so cute the way he turns around to go down the stairs several feet before the start of the stairs.

- When he saw Grammy Pat in Kansas City, he acted a little shy and then started showing off for her, walking funny and looking at her through his legs.

- I take Ben out of the car in the mornings at Rebecca's house and we walk hand-in-hand up the driveway while he carries his lunchbox. When I go pick him up, he carries his lunchbox to the car. Such a sweet, big boy sight!

- If I ask him to turn, he turns around, and if I ask him to squat, he squats and if I ask him if he can jump, he squats again (the first part of jumping). If he's in the mood and I ask for a hug or a kiss, he'll come over and give me some. If we ask him to go water the garden, he goes outside and picks up the hose. Unfortunately, he's come to enjoy watering the concrete much more than the plants.

- He learned to pat the chair or floor next to him to mean "come sit here next to me." He sits down with a book and pats the floor to indicate he wants me to sit and read it to him. I'm delighted to see him ask to be read to. We went to visit my coworker's new baby and Ben "said" he wanted the baby to come sit next to him. How sweet!

- His favorite thing at the playground is letting his cars drive down the slides. I think it is pretty fun too. This weekend at the playground we met a 2-yr-old boy named Karsten (a name I really considered for Ben), and tonight we met a 2-yr-old boy named Soren. A Scandinavian theme this week!

- Since Flynn can't get any attention from us, he's settled for attention from Ben. Every morning when Flynn is extra desperate, he and Ben have a wrestling match on the bed, Ben trying to give him full-body hugs and Flynn simultaneously enjoying it and trying to get away from him.

- We went to a BBQ with some moms from one of my old moms groups, and there were about 7 kids Benny's age. They don't necessarily play together, but they do seem to enjoy each other's company and it is so neat to see them all together.

I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of it now and need to head to bed. I can't wait to see sweet, sweet Benny in the morning!