Along with the quintessential "Why" (which Ben often says like Chandler on Friends: "Why? Wh-why? Why? Why?"), Ben has been saying "I do it!" Two of the most toddler/preschool sayings of all.
I think things are going better in terms of Ben beating up on Oliver. We did a lot of time outs each time Ben hurt Livvy and then made him apologize to him. Tim said Ben accidentally hurt Oliver this week and immediately apologized to him. That's sweet!
Ben does not want to wait until Christmas to open presents, but he is restraining himself. Tim and I are both so excited for Christmas this year. Two little boys and the family and I have 10 days off!! Yippee!
I forget what else...
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Christmas shopping
I feel like I remember reporting each year how Christmas shopping goes with kids. This year I've managed to do a little bit either with only Oliver or completely alone, but I did have to take both of them a couple of days. I guess overall it wasn't that bad - after a magnificent meltdown in one store, they were pretty good the rest of the day. I had to drag Ben away from the toy section, which set him off, but Oliver chose the same time to get really upset. Oliver has a new special cry that is like SHRIEK breathe SHRIEK breathe. And the SHRIEKs are ear-splitting and sound really serious. So Ben is having a tantrum and wants me to hold him and Oliver starts crying (shrieking) to be held. I need to get one more thing before we leave the store so I hold both of them and do some pacing and shushing. One sympathetic lady tells me I'm doing fine. I see another lady plug her ear. Lovely. I guess I don't blame her. :-)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Holiday Gala
We attended the Wee Creekers Holiday Gala last night and were overwhelmed with the chaos. Believe it or not, about 75 families attend Wee Creekers and the place was packed and chaotic! The kids all did a little performance. Oliver (and I) sang Jingle Bells and kicked his jingle bell anklet. Then Ben got up with his class to sing the two songs they have been rehearsing. Ben did everything except sing. We were afraid he would be too scared to go on stage, but we needn't have worried. He had a blast up there, teasing a girl, playing with equipment, dancing by himself, yelling (over the singing) "Hi Miss Susan!" "Hi Jerra!" "Hi Mama!" I laughed so hard. Tim says he is creative and independent. I'll try to go with that instead of thinking of the negative explanations of his behavior. In his defense, he is still the youngest in his class, I think, and since he is there only two days a week, he didn't get as much practice as the others. We got it on video, so we'll try to post it soon for all to laugh at.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Digestion 101
Digestion according to Ben: you eat, the food goes in your blood (point at your chest and stomach), and then goes in your poop (point at your diaper).
An aside: Ben's been getting lots of time outs because he continues to hurt Oliver. While he is in time out, he cries and says "Mommy hates me" and "Mommy mad me." How sad. :-(
Along with learning the word Hate, he has learned the word Love. He "loves turkey" and "loves ham." And "hot slocket" makes him happy. :-)
An aside: Ben's been getting lots of time outs because he continues to hurt Oliver. While he is in time out, he cries and says "Mommy hates me" and "Mommy mad me." How sad. :-(
Along with learning the word Hate, he has learned the word Love. He "loves turkey" and "loves ham." And "hot slocket" makes him happy. :-)
Where does he learn these things?
When things go wrong, Ben will lament "All my fault!" I guess I've said something was my fault, but where did he learn "all my fault?" One morning he woke up crying and kept saying Lightning was lost and it was all his fault. Since we hadn't seen Lightning in a couple of days (he didn't go to bed with him), I figured he must have been dreaming that he lost Lightning.
Santa came to the Hall in the canyon, so we went to see him. Beforehand, I explained to Ben that he gets to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what he wants for Christmas. I asked Ben what he wanted for Christmas and he said "Gun." 1. Where did he even learn about guns? (not at home, so must be at school), and 2. When did my child turn into Ralphie from A Christmas Story??! When we got there, Ben was entirely too shy to even look at Santa, which everyone said was normal.
Santa came to the Hall in the canyon, so we went to see him. Beforehand, I explained to Ben that he gets to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what he wants for Christmas. I asked Ben what he wanted for Christmas and he said "Gun." 1. Where did he even learn about guns? (not at home, so must be at school), and 2. When did my child turn into Ralphie from A Christmas Story??! When we got there, Ben was entirely too shy to even look at Santa, which everyone said was normal.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
And afterthought Oliver
Will Oliver always be an afterthought? I hope not, but he is definitely in Ben's shadow these days. Maybe Ben will move into Oliver's shadow when Ben is a calmer 5 year old and Oliver is going through Terrible Twos and Threes. Who knows.
Oliver is still sweet and happy and heavy. He had an ear infection and the doctor gave him antibiotics which he does not like AT ALL. He still isn't real interested in solid food. We've tried peas, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, applesauce and pears, and the only one he has shown any enthusiasm for is peas. I need to try more teething biscuits because he definitely loves to gnaw on things. He loves to suck and chew on apples.
Oliver is still sweet and happy and heavy. He had an ear infection and the doctor gave him antibiotics which he does not like AT ALL. He still isn't real interested in solid food. We've tried peas, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, applesauce and pears, and the only one he has shown any enthusiasm for is peas. I need to try more teething biscuits because he definitely loves to gnaw on things. He loves to suck and chew on apples.
Sibling rivalry already?
I hate to say that sibling rivalry has begun rather suddenly. Within the space of a few days Ben has gone from playing roughly with Oliver to being really maliciously rough with Oliver. For example, he likes to push Oliver's head to the floor when he is sitting and then sit on his head and he likes to hit and kick and jump on him. Oma Donna thought it might be because Ben knew I took Oliver to California with me and he is jealous. We'll have to figure out how to deal with it. I've yelled a couple of times when Ben appeared to be about to suffocate Oliver and he quickly picked up that habit and has yelled "No Livvy!" at the top of his lungs a few times. So I feel like that tactic has done nothing except give Ben another bad habit. We will try some time outs.
The beginning of Why?
More language updates: Ben has started asking the eternal question: "Why?"
He has also learned the word Hate. This morning he said "I hate school!" And he said it about a couple of things yesterday. It is interesting to try to trace the origins of learning new words. He is at Wee Creekers only two days a week, but he learns a lot there. I guess Tim and I use the word hate a lot in conversations between us, but I don't feel like I've tried to teach Ben the word Hate.
More things he still says cutely:
Hungry is still Horngy
Pop Tart is Partnart
I looked at the ingredients of some juice the other day while Ben and I were in the kitchen and I said, mostly to myself, "This juice is mostly sugar! Yuck!" Now Ben asks for that juice by name: "Sugar juice." :-)
He has also learned the word Hate. This morning he said "I hate school!" And he said it about a couple of things yesterday. It is interesting to try to trace the origins of learning new words. He is at Wee Creekers only two days a week, but he learns a lot there. I guess Tim and I use the word hate a lot in conversations between us, but I don't feel like I've tried to teach Ben the word Hate.
More things he still says cutely:
Hungry is still Horngy
Pop Tart is Partnart
I looked at the ingredients of some juice the other day while Ben and I were in the kitchen and I said, mostly to myself, "This juice is mostly sugar! Yuck!" Now Ben asks for that juice by name: "Sugar juice." :-)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Ben's language updates
Ben's speaking gets better every day. The other night Oliver was wiggling around and Ben said, "Yook, Mama! Yivvy doin' ekercises yike you!" He still has trouble with Ts and Ls and Js some other combinations at the beginning of words, but no problem with them in the middle of words. So Pretty and Pruny and Jump are Fretty and Runy and Wump. And Truck hasn't come along much, unfortunately. Today he very loudly wanted a truck at Big Lots and we had to leave the store because he kept yelling it over and over. (His fingers and toes are "Runy" when he stays too long in the bathtub.)
He keeps us apprised of his frequently-changing moods: "I'm really sad." "I'm happy!" And his health: "I'm really sick." "My foot hurts!" And his preferences: "That was really fun!" "I not yike dat!" "Tasty!" "Fancy!"
Instead of "he is" or "she is" I think he says "izzy." I don't think he is asking when he says "Izzy black" and I think he means "he is black."
Other things he still says funny: Penguin is Pengoon, Ostrich is Osterd.
And he has his own word that I think needs to be patented: Snuggy. Getting "cozy" or "snuggly" just don't convey the right meaning as getting all "snuggy" with your blankie or "snuggy" in your jammies.
More when I remember!
He keeps us apprised of his frequently-changing moods: "I'm really sad." "I'm happy!" And his health: "I'm really sick." "My foot hurts!" And his preferences: "That was really fun!" "I not yike dat!" "Tasty!" "Fancy!"
Instead of "he is" or "she is" I think he says "izzy." I don't think he is asking when he says "Izzy black" and I think he means "he is black."
Other things he still says funny: Penguin is Pengoon, Ostrich is Osterd.
And he has his own word that I think needs to be patented: Snuggy. Getting "cozy" or "snuggly" just don't convey the right meaning as getting all "snuggy" with your blankie or "snuggy" in your jammies.
More when I remember!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Visit to Oma and Opa in Alabama
Ben was so excited to go on an airplane to visit Oma and Opa in Birmingham. He went on four airplanes and was very lucky to have an airport playground in Nashville for our longest layover.
We had a really, really nice visit. Tim did a 50-mile race and instead of spectating and supporting him, we went to the McWane Science Center for a morning full of activities. There were hundreds of really neat interactive things for kids to do. It was sensory overload and Ben took a really long nap that afternoon.
Although Ben could care less about our poor cat, Flynn, at home, he was fascinated with my old kitty, Harley, who lives in Birmingham. Ben inexplicably changed her name to Marley and wanted to feed her and pet her.
I can imagine a 2.5 year old could get homesick pretty easily and Ben does seem to get a little uncomfortable pretty often, but gets over it quickly. I was worried about how he would sleep in a strange place since we haven't really been away from home much in the past year. He did pretty well and I was amused our first morning there when he got up, told me he slept a "yong time" and went bravely and comfortably into the living room and said "Hi Opa!"
If I remember what else I wanted to report about our trip to Birmingham, I'll post again.
We had a really, really nice visit. Tim did a 50-mile race and instead of spectating and supporting him, we went to the McWane Science Center for a morning full of activities. There were hundreds of really neat interactive things for kids to do. It was sensory overload and Ben took a really long nap that afternoon.
Although Ben could care less about our poor cat, Flynn, at home, he was fascinated with my old kitty, Harley, who lives in Birmingham. Ben inexplicably changed her name to Marley and wanted to feed her and pet her.
I can imagine a 2.5 year old could get homesick pretty easily and Ben does seem to get a little uncomfortable pretty often, but gets over it quickly. I was worried about how he would sleep in a strange place since we haven't really been away from home much in the past year. He did pretty well and I was amused our first morning there when he got up, told me he slept a "yong time" and went bravely and comfortably into the living room and said "Hi Opa!"
If I remember what else I wanted to report about our trip to Birmingham, I'll post again.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ben's first theater movie
Grammy Pat came for a nice weekend visit and babysat Oliver while Tim and I took Ben to his first movie. We told him we were going to see a movie on a really big TV and he seemed excited. We saw "Up" at a bargain matinee. Ben was mesmerized the whole time and didn't even want to share my popcorn, but he said he wanted to go home several times. We think he just got a little homesick during the sad and not-so-exciting parts of the movie. Afterwards he said it was "fun" but he also said he didn't want to go see a movie on a really big TV. So who knows whether he really liked it or not. During the movie he was really worried about the ostrich ("osterd") getting home. We moved when someone came to sit right in front of Ben, so I didn't get to sit next to him, and I missed out on the intense whispered conversations Tim and Ben were having (I guess about the ostrich, which wasn't an ostrich.)
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Other random updates
So much to catch up on!
Oma and Opa sent a Halloween box with some chocolate marshmallows in it. I think I already said that Ben can make one marshmallow last all day. He licks the top over and over until it gets shorter and shorter. He puts it on his dresser at night and picks it up in the morning. He called the chocolate ones "socket smushmallows."
Every evening when Ben has been at Wee Creekers, his language has improved. On Wed and Thur nights, he speaks in sentences! We probably undo all the progress they make with him on Wed/Thur during the rest of the week. Words he still says funny:
Penguin = pengoon
favorite = fwavite
broke = bloke
I know there is more, but can't remember them...
Oliver is 6 months old! And he has two little bottom teeth! And he weighs 19 lbs 10 oz! (down to the 83 percentile now) And he has started solids, though he doesn't seem to like them much. He definitely looks at our food longingly, so perhaps he is disappointed that he gets mush while we get pizza, etc. We made some delightful pureed sweet potatoes with the lovely baby food maker Aunt Wende gave to Oliver.
Oliver got FOUR shots at his 6-month doctor appointment this week. And he cried for less than 10 seconds! I'm sure he has been toughened by Ben. Ben is still always very sweet to his "Yiv" but he "plays" a little rough. We try not to leave them alone together. I did for a few minutes the other morning and when I came back in the room Ben was straddled on top of Oliver, sitting on his stomach with all his weight and yelling and what was Oliver doing? Smiling up at him! Ben can make Oliver laugh just by laughing.
Oliver went with me to a library conference in California and was great company. In the rental car I heard a new catchy popular song enough times to really start to like it (a few more times and I would be tired of it). Oliver had no opinion of it, but Tim didn't like it when I played it for him back at home. Then it came on the radio with Ben in the car and I turned it up loud. Ben yelled "Bee not yike this song!" I guess I am alone in my musical tastes. :-(
Ben has his own version of the first four letters of the alphabet. When I try to tell him it is A B C D, he says "No, ACDB!" But he says it really fast so it sounds like "Aysidibee."
We finally talked Ben into sledding after last week's snowstorm. He laughed and laughed and said things like "That went fun!" "That was fwazy!" (crazy) "That was funner!" When Tim and Ben came in from the snow, Tim made some "all natural" hot chocolate that just did not taste good. Ben took one sip and said "Good!" and then didn't drink any more. After a while, he said "All done." Tim thought he was being very polite.
I'll try to post more often!
Oma and Opa sent a Halloween box with some chocolate marshmallows in it. I think I already said that Ben can make one marshmallow last all day. He licks the top over and over until it gets shorter and shorter. He puts it on his dresser at night and picks it up in the morning. He called the chocolate ones "socket smushmallows."
Every evening when Ben has been at Wee Creekers, his language has improved. On Wed and Thur nights, he speaks in sentences! We probably undo all the progress they make with him on Wed/Thur during the rest of the week. Words he still says funny:
Penguin = pengoon
favorite = fwavite
broke = bloke
I know there is more, but can't remember them...
This morning Ben didn't want to go to Wee Creekers because he had an owie on his thumb. I put a bandaid on his (invisible) owie and by the time we got there his "owie was all better" and the bandaid had to come off.
Ben's favorite thing to say this past week is "I'm sick!" and "I'm hurt!" I guess because we say it to him when he has a cold. If we ask him where he is hurt, he'll say his leg (or something else) is "bloken." Anytime he hurts himself falling or bumping, etc. he wants the ice pack. He holds it on for a few seconds and then declares everything better.Oliver is 6 months old! And he has two little bottom teeth! And he weighs 19 lbs 10 oz! (down to the 83 percentile now) And he has started solids, though he doesn't seem to like them much. He definitely looks at our food longingly, so perhaps he is disappointed that he gets mush while we get pizza, etc. We made some delightful pureed sweet potatoes with the lovely baby food maker Aunt Wende gave to Oliver.
Oliver got FOUR shots at his 6-month doctor appointment this week. And he cried for less than 10 seconds! I'm sure he has been toughened by Ben. Ben is still always very sweet to his "Yiv" but he "plays" a little rough. We try not to leave them alone together. I did for a few minutes the other morning and when I came back in the room Ben was straddled on top of Oliver, sitting on his stomach with all his weight and yelling and what was Oliver doing? Smiling up at him! Ben can make Oliver laugh just by laughing.
Oliver went with me to a library conference in California and was great company. In the rental car I heard a new catchy popular song enough times to really start to like it (a few more times and I would be tired of it). Oliver had no opinion of it, but Tim didn't like it when I played it for him back at home. Then it came on the radio with Ben in the car and I turned it up loud. Ben yelled "Bee not yike this song!" I guess I am alone in my musical tastes. :-(
Ben has his own version of the first four letters of the alphabet. When I try to tell him it is A B C D, he says "No, ACDB!" But he says it really fast so it sounds like "Aysidibee."
We finally talked Ben into sledding after last week's snowstorm. He laughed and laughed and said things like "That went fun!" "That was fwazy!" (crazy) "That was funner!" When Tim and Ben came in from the snow, Tim made some "all natural" hot chocolate that just did not taste good. Ben took one sip and said "Good!" and then didn't drink any more. After a while, he said "All done." Tim thought he was being very polite.
I'll try to post more often!
Halloween 2009
We had our first taste of "mountain trick or treating" - only one neighborhood in the canyon does trick or treating and they get all organized and advertise. The advertising said "costumes = candy" so we all dressed up. Oliver was an ice cream cone (a hand-me-down from Samantha), Ben was his glorious dinosaur/dragon (from Aunt Marilyn and Aunt Karen), Tim was Van Gogh and I was Starry Night. Tim and I didn't take bags though - it didn't seem right, as much as I wanted candy! Ben is still having trouble with "tr" so he said "Frick or Freat!"
The houses in that neighborhood are still too far apart to walk between, so it was a bit of a traffic jam with families getting in and out of cars and slipping on the ice in driveways (we had a big snowstorm on Wed/Thur) and . Oliver got fed up after the first house (the wind was taking his breath away constantly) and then Ben got fed up after about 5 houses and begged to go home. So we went home with a pathetically small amount of candy, in my opinion. Ben was quite happy with his loot, however. He took one tiny bite of a couple of the chocolates and gave them to us. He loved the lollipop, a hard candy, and the Smarties. I told him Smarties were my favorite and he kept giving them to me, saying "Your fwavite!" What a sweet sharer.
The houses in that neighborhood are still too far apart to walk between, so it was a bit of a traffic jam with families getting in and out of cars and slipping on the ice in driveways (we had a big snowstorm on Wed/Thur) and . Oliver got fed up after the first house (the wind was taking his breath away constantly) and then Ben got fed up after about 5 houses and begged to go home. So we went home with a pathetically small amount of candy, in my opinion. Ben was quite happy with his loot, however. He took one tiny bite of a couple of the chocolates and gave them to us. He loved the lollipop, a hard candy, and the Smarties. I told him Smarties were my favorite and he kept giving them to me, saying "Your fwavite!" What a sweet sharer.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
October
Ben has started saying "Sure?" As in, "Daddy roll up yo-yo. Sure?" I can't tell if he got it from our saying "Sure" after he asks us for something, or our asking him if he is sure he wants something. It's cute, either way.
He also says "I do it for you" quite often.
This morning Ben said, "Juice makes me happy." I asked what else made him happy and he said Thomas (the train) and Lightning (the car).
One morning I promised to bring Ben some new books from the library and I forgot. Of course that was the day he remembered. When I got home, he asked me "New books?" and looked sad when I told him I forgot.
Last night he wanted to eat Oliver's baby food and we told him he couldn't because he was not a baby. He said Oliver was not a baby either. He said "Yiv! Not Yivvy!"
I'm forgetting everything else I was going to report. :-(
He also says "I do it for you" quite often.
This morning Ben said, "Juice makes me happy." I asked what else made him happy and he said Thomas (the train) and Lightning (the car).
One morning I promised to bring Ben some new books from the library and I forgot. Of course that was the day he remembered. When I got home, he asked me "New books?" and looked sad when I told him I forgot.
Last night he wanted to eat Oliver's baby food and we told him he couldn't because he was not a baby. He said Oliver was not a baby either. He said "Yiv! Not Yivvy!"
I'm forgetting everything else I was going to report. :-(
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Two more things
Tim said he laid down with Ben for a nap last week and Ben said "Benny safe. Snuggle Daddy."
Ben loves to find letters everywhere and point them out. He learns more each day, but B and W have been his favorites for a long time. He says W so cute - kind of like "dubbazoo." I love it!
Ben loves to find letters everywhere and point them out. He learns more each day, but B and W have been his favorites for a long time. He says W so cute - kind of like "dubbazoo." I love it!
Random updates
I'm home sick today (not sure it is the flu) and right now Ben and Oliver are wrestling and Oliver is actually laughing as Ben STEPS ON HIS FACE, whips him from his back to "tummy time" and back to his back, and completely squishes him. And Ben just pulled a hair out of Oliver's mouth and told me about it.
This morning when I came downstairs Ben said "Hi Mom! Come sit me!" in the sweetest voice. I asked him why he was crying in the middle of the night, did he have nightmares? and he said "I have big ears." I said "I said nightmares not big ears," and he said, "Mommy have night ears too" and pointed at my ears. Then in a bit he said "I yuv you too Mommy."
He is using I a lot more than Benny now. Last night he said "I don't know" and "I'm full."
Last night I sat down in the living room and realized I needed a spoon and Ben ran from the living room into the kitchen, where Tim was. Tim asked what Ben needed and Ben didn't respond - just ran to the silverware drawer, opened it, grabbed a spoon (without being able to see), and ran back to me. Tim laughed and came to tell me Ben was so purposeful.
Ben is also very proud that he can get his own marshmallows out of the fridge. He calls them "smushmellows." He makes one marshmallow last 30 minutes. This morning he got one (not the best breakfast food), and he said "Smushmellow tastes smushy."
Oliver can sit up with just a little support and we started solids a couple of night ago. We just tried some applesauce - which isn't the correct thing to start with, but he seems so tough - and he loved it. He grabs at our food and if you give him an apple or a peach he sucks and sucks and gnaws. I think I will get out the baby food steamer/maker and do a sweet potato for him. He's starting to cry a little when you take something away from him. But he still smiles and smiles!
Ben has started motioning with his hand in the funniest way. He uses it to point and direct us and it's really graceful and solemn. We need to try to get it on video.
This morning when I came downstairs Ben said "Hi Mom! Come sit me!" in the sweetest voice. I asked him why he was crying in the middle of the night, did he have nightmares? and he said "I have big ears." I said "I said nightmares not big ears," and he said, "Mommy have night ears too" and pointed at my ears. Then in a bit he said "I yuv you too Mommy."
He is using I a lot more than Benny now. Last night he said "I don't know" and "I'm full."
Last night I sat down in the living room and realized I needed a spoon and Ben ran from the living room into the kitchen, where Tim was. Tim asked what Ben needed and Ben didn't respond - just ran to the silverware drawer, opened it, grabbed a spoon (without being able to see), and ran back to me. Tim laughed and came to tell me Ben was so purposeful.
Ben is also very proud that he can get his own marshmallows out of the fridge. He calls them "smushmellows." He makes one marshmallow last 30 minutes. This morning he got one (not the best breakfast food), and he said "Smushmellow tastes smushy."
Oliver can sit up with just a little support and we started solids a couple of night ago. We just tried some applesauce - which isn't the correct thing to start with, but he seems so tough - and he loved it. He grabs at our food and if you give him an apple or a peach he sucks and sucks and gnaws. I think I will get out the baby food steamer/maker and do a sweet potato for him. He's starting to cry a little when you take something away from him. But he still smiles and smiles!
Ben has started motioning with his hand in the funniest way. He uses it to point and direct us and it's really graceful and solemn. We need to try to get it on video.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Green and white party and library
We went to Kansas this weekend for Tim's 20 -year high school reunion and Ben LOVED seeing Grammy and Wende and Darrell and Ron. He couldn't wait to get to Grammy's house and constantly wanted to go back to Grammy's house. Tim's high school colors were green and white and later Ben wanted to go to another "green and white party."
Wende's friend John found a fuzzy caterpillar for Ben to look at, but soon he wanted to put it back outside. He said it needed to go home because it missed its mommy.
At breakfast in the motel, Ben said "This is SO fun!" and he said he wanted to go shopping before going to Grammy's house, so we went to Pamida. He looked at a recliner there and rubbed his hands over it and said "This is SO nice!" I don't know where he got that phrase, but it's cute.
When we got home from Kansas Ben was very sad because he did NOT want to go to our "old house."
All this week Ben has been begging nonstop to go to the library ("yibary" or "yawbary"). He loves the library.
More later!
Wende's friend John found a fuzzy caterpillar for Ben to look at, but soon he wanted to put it back outside. He said it needed to go home because it missed its mommy.
At breakfast in the motel, Ben said "This is SO fun!" and he said he wanted to go shopping before going to Grammy's house, so we went to Pamida. He looked at a recliner there and rubbed his hands over it and said "This is SO nice!" I don't know where he got that phrase, but it's cute.
When we got home from Kansas Ben was very sad because he did NOT want to go to our "old house."
All this week Ben has been begging nonstop to go to the library ("yibary" or "yawbary"). He loves the library.
More later!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Tim! Miss you.
As I've said, Ben loves to turn to us and say "Miss you Mommy," "Miss you, Daddy." Once or twice Tim hasn't heard him, so I said "Tim!" to get his attention. Now when Tim doesn't hear him, Ben himself says, "Tim! Miss you, Daddy."
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Hey hey hey!
Tim says he accidentally skipped a page in a book during bedtime book reading and Ben said, "Hey hey hey!" and turned back the page. He seems to memorize a book in one reading. Can I say how wonderful public libraries are now that I'm not the only patron in the house? Ben is so excited to get a pile of new books each week, and would you believe they make DVDs of nothing but trucks, nothing but bulldozers, nothing but bugs, nothing but dinosaurs, and almost anything else he is obsessed with at any certain time? In my library system, there are 126 kids' books about trucks. How wonderful for Benny!
Ben's moods are confounding. One morning sunscreen application causes a major meltdown and the next morning it's easy as pie.
Oliver must have grown a few inches taller this week. He's lost his extra chins and looks very different. He is SOOOOO ready to play with Ben - he looks like he'll stand up and walk at any moment. And you can tell he already worships him. If all three of us smile at Oliver, he is most likely to smile back at Ben. Ben loves to make him laugh.
Ben's moods are confounding. One morning sunscreen application causes a major meltdown and the next morning it's easy as pie.
Oliver must have grown a few inches taller this week. He's lost his extra chins and looks very different. He is SOOOOO ready to play with Ben - he looks like he'll stand up and walk at any moment. And you can tell he already worships him. If all three of us smile at Oliver, he is most likely to smile back at Ben. Ben loves to make him laugh.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Oliver news
Oliver's favorite activity this week is grabbing and holding onto his toes. He is very proud of his new skill.
Ben made Oliver chuckle last week. Did I already say that Opa Al was the first to make Oliver chuckle at the reunion?
Ben made Oliver chuckle last week. Did I already say that Opa Al was the first to make Oliver chuckle at the reunion?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Nice weekend
This weekend we went to Winter Park and stayed in someone's lovely condo. We planned on camping, but it ended up being too cold and threatening rain. Ben called the condo our "new house" and got mad when we had to go home to our "old house." We spent a lot of time on the playgrounds and we're really impressed with how well Ben takes turns and shares with other kids. He even shares his most precious toys with Oliver.
Periodically throughout a day at home, Ben announces loudly, "Tummy Time!" and insists that Oliver come lie down on the floor with him on his blanket so they can do tummy time together.
Last night we were driving to the grocery store and it started to rain. Ben said "Raining though." That's an example of his random use of "though."
"Benny" has been shortened to "B," so instead of "Benny's ball is?" (which means "where is Benny's ball?") he has been saying "B's ball is?" So I thought he was saying "baseball." "B's milk," "B's turn," etc.
Ben says "Miss you" (love you?) all the time now. He'll be sitting somewhere and say "Miss you Mommy. Miss you Daddy. Miss you Yivvy."
Periodically throughout a day at home, Ben announces loudly, "Tummy Time!" and insists that Oliver come lie down on the floor with him on his blanket so they can do tummy time together.
Last night we were driving to the grocery store and it started to rain. Ben said "Raining though." That's an example of his random use of "though."
"Benny" has been shortened to "B," so instead of "Benny's ball is?" (which means "where is Benny's ball?") he has been saying "B's ball is?" So I thought he was saying "baseball." "B's milk," "B's turn," etc.
Ben says "Miss you" (love you?) all the time now. He'll be sitting somewhere and say "Miss you Mommy. Miss you Daddy. Miss you Yivvy."
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Language coming and going and Uh Oh Peanut Butter!
It's weird how Ben seems to learn how to say something and then forgets. He used to say "br" just fine, but now he can only say "bl." So broken is "bloken." He is "glowing big" instead of growing big. I actually can't remember how he used to say trucks, but unfortunately his "tr" is presently pronounced "f." We wince often since he talks about trucks all day long these days.
He learned the word "though" at Wee Creekers, I guess and has been using it often, but he uses it kind of randomly. Almost every day he uses a new word and amazes us. Yesterday he said "Almost." He learned "oh" on the same day he learned "um." He says "Oh!" whenever we explain something to him.
We've been wondering why he hasn't started saying "I love you" since he hears it from us so often. He might have finally started, but he says "miss you" instead of love you. The way he says it makes us think he means love instead of miss. He'll come over to give one of us a hug and says "Miss you Mommy/Daddy." I know I come home from work and tell him I missed him and love him, so maybe they are interchangeable to him. It's awfully sweet in any case.
We have not done any music in Ben's life and I am glad he is getting some exposure to music at Wee Creekers. We finally asked what "Uh oh peanut butter" meant and Miss Susan sang the song for us:
"A peanut sat on the railroad track, his heart was all a-flutter. The 5:15 came roaring by … Uh Oh! Peanut butter.”
They must have been singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious too because Ben tries to sing it. Understandably, he doesn't quite get all of it. His version is closer to "Supercalidocious!" He also sings "Baa Baa Black Sheep Hammywool!" at the top of his lungs.
Maybe someday Oliver won't be a footnote. He's learning to use his hands - it's so neat to watch. And he can roll over both ways. His rashes are much better and he smiles a lot.
He learned the word "though" at Wee Creekers, I guess and has been using it often, but he uses it kind of randomly. Almost every day he uses a new word and amazes us. Yesterday he said "Almost." He learned "oh" on the same day he learned "um." He says "Oh!" whenever we explain something to him.
We've been wondering why he hasn't started saying "I love you" since he hears it from us so often. He might have finally started, but he says "miss you" instead of love you. The way he says it makes us think he means love instead of miss. He'll come over to give one of us a hug and says "Miss you Mommy/Daddy." I know I come home from work and tell him I missed him and love him, so maybe they are interchangeable to him. It's awfully sweet in any case.
We have not done any music in Ben's life and I am glad he is getting some exposure to music at Wee Creekers. We finally asked what "Uh oh peanut butter" meant and Miss Susan sang the song for us:
"A peanut sat on the railroad track, his heart was all a-flutter. The 5:15 came roaring by … Uh Oh! Peanut butter.”
They must have been singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious too because Ben tries to sing it. Understandably, he doesn't quite get all of it. His version is closer to "Supercalidocious!" He also sings "Baa Baa Black Sheep Hammywool!" at the top of his lungs.
Maybe someday Oliver won't be a footnote. He's learning to use his hands - it's so neat to watch. And he can roll over both ways. His rashes are much better and he smiles a lot.
Friday, September 4, 2009
One little update
Ben came home from Wee Creekers one day with a new word: in response to almost every question you ask him, he says "um."
Second child syndrome
They say the first child has a perfect baby book and beautiful scrapbooks and so many photographs and the second child gets neglected in that area. Poor Oliver - I forgot to take his 3 month picture, so I'm already falling into the stereotype. I'll use one that was taken near the 3-month date. I did remember his 4 month. So here are his 3 and 4 month photos.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Telephone - More sweetness
Benny, Livvy and I were out and about and Tim called the cell phone to give us a message. After I was finished talking to Tim, I gave the phone to Ben to chat and I heard him say a few things and in a few minutes he started bawling. I thought something hurt him and got all worried and I should have stopped the car. I asked him what was wrong and he was crying so hard he couldn't talk. I called Tim back to ask him what happened and he said he told Ben he had to hang up and said good-bye. After Ben calmed down a little bit and could talk, he said "miss Daddy!" over and over and cried for a long time. Isn't that the sweetest, and saddest?
Soon after the reunion, Tim and I said something about calling someone and Ben heard "call" and he ran to the phone and said "Call Aunt Winnie." Of course we couldn't say no to that, so Ben called Aunt Wende to say good night to her.
Other tidbits:
Ben calls Oliver "Yivvy" (Livvy) and "Ovvy."
Oliver weighed 17 lbs, 6 oz at his 4-month check up. His weight is in the 90th percentile and his height is in the 84th percentile.
Soon after the reunion, Tim and I said something about calling someone and Ben heard "call" and he ran to the phone and said "Call Aunt Winnie." Of course we couldn't say no to that, so Ben called Aunt Wende to say good night to her.
Other tidbits:
Ben calls Oliver "Yivvy" (Livvy) and "Ovvy."
Oliver weighed 17 lbs, 6 oz at his 4-month check up. His weight is in the 90th percentile and his height is in the 84th percentile.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Couple more random updates
Ben seems to be having a terrible time with my going back to work. Extra tantrums, extra clingy, extra whiny. I try to give him as much attention as I can when I get home from work, but we know that low blood sugar makes him cranky too, so I need to get dinner fixed as quickly as possible. And poor Oliver doesn't end up getting much attention before he goes to bed at 7:00. Sweet, easy-going Oliver.
Thank goodness we've still seen no outward signs of jealousy with Ben. He still acts like he loves Oliver and is proud to have a little brother. When we go places, Ben proudly says "Ovver!" like he is introducing him. He also chants "Mine Ovver!" over and over when he wants to play with him and cries when I won't let him. He's doing a pretty good job of being gentle with him, though if we leave them alone for a few minutes, we often come back to find Ben sitting on Oliver somehow or giving him one of his full body hugs, and Oliver doesn't even cry. Oliver does get a hilariously frightful look on his face when he sees Ben coming, and he winces in preparation for whatever is coming.
Ben's new word this week is "yeah" and I wish I could describe how he says it.
Ben: "Yitin real race car!"
Me: "Lightning is a real race car?"
Ben: "Yeah."
Ben really loves garbage trucks, bull dozers, diggers, and other big trucks and tractors these days. We found a really cool digger at a thrift store (and we need more toys like we need a hole in the head), and we had a great time driving through three lovely road construction zones yesterday and looking at all the tractors and diggers and front end loaders.
For all his extra tantrums and toddler behavior, we still have so many wonderful times with Ben. It seems completely daunting to go somewhere alone with a newborn and a toddler - how do you hold the baby and be able to catch the toddler before he runs out into traffic, etc.? But Ben is such a good boy every outing we've taken. I tell him I'm so proud of him, and I tell him to tell Daddy he was a "good boy" when we get home. He stays in the grocery cart for a while and when he gets out he stays near me, he holds my hand in the parking lot like he's supposed to. He doesn't really throw tantrums when it is time to leave a playground or time to stop doing something fun.
He enjoys going to the "go see door" (grocery store) with me and he LOVES the library. He asks to go to the library almost every day, and when we are here, he says "Benny stay yibary." We did the summer reading club this summer and he got his free book because he read 8 hours. He asks to read all the time, which I think is wonderful. It is surprising which books he ends up liking. This week he likes a book called the Principal from the Black Lagoon, and a Visitor for Bear. He says "buhlack yagoon" and "begone" (the bear doesn't like his visitor, so he yells "begone!")
Ben's favorite food this month is blueberries (buhlooberries) and he asks for more and more and ends up eating large quantities. Diaper changes have been colorful. :-)
Ben can count to ten and knows that green lights mean go and red lights mean stop.
Hmm, the world still revolves around Benny even though he has a little brother now...
Gotta go work!
Thank goodness we've still seen no outward signs of jealousy with Ben. He still acts like he loves Oliver and is proud to have a little brother. When we go places, Ben proudly says "Ovver!" like he is introducing him. He also chants "Mine Ovver!" over and over when he wants to play with him and cries when I won't let him. He's doing a pretty good job of being gentle with him, though if we leave them alone for a few minutes, we often come back to find Ben sitting on Oliver somehow or giving him one of his full body hugs, and Oliver doesn't even cry. Oliver does get a hilariously frightful look on his face when he sees Ben coming, and he winces in preparation for whatever is coming.
Ben's new word this week is "yeah" and I wish I could describe how he says it.
Ben: "Yitin real race car!"
Me: "Lightning is a real race car?"
Ben: "Yeah."
Ben really loves garbage trucks, bull dozers, diggers, and other big trucks and tractors these days. We found a really cool digger at a thrift store (and we need more toys like we need a hole in the head), and we had a great time driving through three lovely road construction zones yesterday and looking at all the tractors and diggers and front end loaders.
For all his extra tantrums and toddler behavior, we still have so many wonderful times with Ben. It seems completely daunting to go somewhere alone with a newborn and a toddler - how do you hold the baby and be able to catch the toddler before he runs out into traffic, etc.? But Ben is such a good boy every outing we've taken. I tell him I'm so proud of him, and I tell him to tell Daddy he was a "good boy" when we get home. He stays in the grocery cart for a while and when he gets out he stays near me, he holds my hand in the parking lot like he's supposed to. He doesn't really throw tantrums when it is time to leave a playground or time to stop doing something fun.
He enjoys going to the "go see door" (grocery store) with me and he LOVES the library. He asks to go to the library almost every day, and when we are here, he says "Benny stay yibary." We did the summer reading club this summer and he got his free book because he read 8 hours. He asks to read all the time, which I think is wonderful. It is surprising which books he ends up liking. This week he likes a book called the Principal from the Black Lagoon, and a Visitor for Bear. He says "buhlack yagoon" and "begone" (the bear doesn't like his visitor, so he yells "begone!")
Ben's favorite food this month is blueberries (buhlooberries) and he asks for more and more and ends up eating large quantities. Diaper changes have been colorful. :-)
Ben can count to ten and knows that green lights mean go and red lights mean stop.
Hmm, the world still revolves around Benny even though he has a little brother now...
Gotta go work!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Two brothers
The difference between Oliver and Ben is amazing. The "how to welcome a second baby" books warn you about saying anything negative about the older sibling in front of them, but hopefully Ben won't care by the time he can read this. You can see there's nature and nurture both at work here. Oliver and Ben have different personalities, but there's probably a lot that I am doing differently too and that has to affect them.
I know it isn't completely accurate, but my memories are that Ben NEVER ONCE went to sleep on his own. He was completely dependent on nursing to sleep until well past a year. When we tried to let him cry it out (and learn to go to sleep on his own), he cried for HOURS. And, it seems like he NEVER took a single daytime nap (even nursing with me) until he was two years old. Ben was also a very unhappy newborn, and cried/fussed almost constantly for his first three months. He would almost never sit content by himself. We kinda understood that he was hungry (starving?), but if half the crying was from being tired, we just didn't understand why he wouldn't go to sleep. After three months, he turned into such a sweet, happy guy (who still didn't sleep very well, but didn't seem to be affected by that), and the rest is history. :-)
Oliver, on the other hand, can sit content by himself for a good long while, amused by what's going on around him. And it seems like the only time he cries is when he is tired. And guess what???!! When he is tired, you can lay him down and guess what he does??!! He goes to sleep!!! Every once in a while he'll fuss a bit, but never more than five minutes. That just seems absolutely amazing to me after our experience with Ben. I know things can change at any minute, but it certainly seems like we're off to a better start with Oliver in terms of sleeping. Yay!!
I know it isn't completely accurate, but my memories are that Ben NEVER ONCE went to sleep on his own. He was completely dependent on nursing to sleep until well past a year. When we tried to let him cry it out (and learn to go to sleep on his own), he cried for HOURS. And, it seems like he NEVER took a single daytime nap (even nursing with me) until he was two years old. Ben was also a very unhappy newborn, and cried/fussed almost constantly for his first three months. He would almost never sit content by himself. We kinda understood that he was hungry (starving?), but if half the crying was from being tired, we just didn't understand why he wouldn't go to sleep. After three months, he turned into such a sweet, happy guy (who still didn't sleep very well, but didn't seem to be affected by that), and the rest is history. :-)
Oliver, on the other hand, can sit content by himself for a good long while, amused by what's going on around him. And it seems like the only time he cries is when he is tired. And guess what???!! When he is tired, you can lay him down and guess what he does??!! He goes to sleep!!! Every once in a while he'll fuss a bit, but never more than five minutes. That just seems absolutely amazing to me after our experience with Ben. I know things can change at any minute, but it certainly seems like we're off to a better start with Oliver in terms of sleeping. Yay!!
No playground!
This morning Ben said, "No playground! Stay home, Mama!" So perhaps I shouldn't feel so guilty about going to work and taking him to daycare. Home is apparently more appealing than a playground! Oh, the changing moods of toddlers...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Feeling guilty
Yesterday morning and this morning Ben said "No school. Stay home Mommy." That breaks my heart and makes me feel really guilty. Of course once he gets to school, he runs and joins in and seems happy.
Oliver started "school" today too, and he just smiled at his "teachers."
Ben is trying to learn dinosaur names and the "saurus" part always comes out "sources." When he tried to say brachiosaurus it sounds like broccoli's horses.
Oliver started "school" today too, and he just smiled at his "teachers."
Ben is trying to learn dinosaur names and the "saurus" part always comes out "sources." When he tried to say brachiosaurus it sounds like broccoli's horses.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Daily funny
Whenever we ask Ben how his day was at Wee Creekers or what he learned at school, he always starts naming all his friends and teachers. "Gabin, MarTIN, Ewen, Tabum, Yerra, Maggots..." (Gavin, Martin, Susan, Tatum, Jerra, Mattux...)
I forgot to say that Ben called Darrell's cat Alex "Aggots!"
I forgot to say that Ben called Darrell's cat Alex "Aggots!"
Monday, July 27, 2009
Hungry Mommy
I make a full sandwich for me and a half sandwich for Ben and twice in one day he ate the middle out of his half sandwich (avoiding the crusts and getting his cheeks messy like kids do), walked over to me, put his crust on my plate and said it was Mommy's, took my full sandwich and said it was Benny's. I guess he was hungry that day! Or he's moving up in the world to the full sandwich size.
Visit to Grammy's
We took a last hoorah trip to Almena to visit Grammy Pat and Grandpa Darrell and see some 4-H animals and ride some rides at the Norton home-owned carnival. I'll try to post some photos tonight. Ben really enjoyed himself - he "drove" a car and a tractor, he jumped in the jump tent for a very long time (and held his own against the bigger, concussion-causing kids!), he rode the carousel with Grammy, and decided at the last minute he did not want to ride the big ferris wheel. He really wanted to go on the roller coaster that looked scary to me, so I decided to try it. He seemed to enjoy the first two loops, but didn't like the last three. It was very jerky and I tried to hold his neck. He loved playing the games, but didn't understand that you really only got three tries to break plates with a baseball - he wanted to continue throwing forever. And there was one little kids game that just has balls rolling into slots and the number of the slot tells you which little prize you won. He didn't understand the point of it and wanted to roll the balls over and over. He played Sinko with Grandpa Darrell too. I've never seen Sinko before. He broke one plate and he got two ping pong balls in glasses too and won . He tasted his first cotton candy. We stayed at a motel and Ben was always excited to go to "Ranma's house." He really enjoyed "Dawell's" company, just like he enjoys being with Albert and Michael.
Mommy back to work
I'm back at work and not happy about it at all. :-( Tim is at home getting to know Oliver better. I really enjoyed this maternity leave and did not want to go back to the hectic life of working and commuting and stressing, etc. Oh well. We all have to work.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Black Stallion narrated
Ben loves movies, as we all know. We recently watched Black Stallion, one of my favorite old(er) movies. Ben narrated the movie for us. I started writing down everything he said so I could put it here. If you've seen the movie recently, or remember it, you'll know what he is talking about. I'll help with a few hints.
- boat! (they're on a boat)
- horsey! (there's a horse)
- raining! (there's a big storm)
- swimming! (the boat sinks, so the horsey and Alec are swimming)
- barefoot! (Alec is walking barefoot on the beach)
- climbing! (Alec is climbing on rocks)
- rock!
- tunnel! (Alec sleeps in a little cave in the rock)
- horsey!
- horsey tangled! (Black's ropes get caught on the rocks)
- snake!
- bite! (the snake will bite Alec)
- horsey!
- rescue! (Black rescued Alec from the snake)
- dark! (night comes)
- running! (Black and Alec are running)
Then Ben bites his finger eating popcorn and cries and gets distracted and doesn't watch the rest of the movie.
:-)
- boat! (they're on a boat)
- horsey! (there's a horse)
- raining! (there's a big storm)
- swimming! (the boat sinks, so the horsey and Alec are swimming)
- barefoot! (Alec is walking barefoot on the beach)
- climbing! (Alec is climbing on rocks)
- rock!
- tunnel! (Alec sleeps in a little cave in the rock)
- horsey!
- horsey tangled! (Black's ropes get caught on the rocks)
- snake!
- bite! (the snake will bite Alec)
- horsey!
- rescue! (Black rescued Alec from the snake)
- dark! (night comes)
- running! (Black and Alec are running)
Then Ben bites his finger eating popcorn and cries and gets distracted and doesn't watch the rest of the movie.
:-)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
All aboard!!
Ben's vocabulary is increasing by the minute, and we can't tell where it is coming from! He started saying "Ahbort!" and after thinking for a while, we thought he must be saying "All Aboard!" and he sings "Clean up, clean up." He got both of those from Wee Creekers.
We got lots of fruit at the flea market and I made popsicles to use up some of it. Ben calls them "pockles" and LOVES them. We also got him a used tricycle and he calls it a "bikel."
Other cute new words:
Octopus = opt-gus
Madagascar (the movie) = Maggots gacar
Slinky = hinky
Oliver has started talking too! He says the exact same thing Ben said: it sounds like saying "uncle" or "igloo" with your mouth closed. I think it ends up being Ah-goo later. It sounds so sweet.
We got lots of fruit at the flea market and I made popsicles to use up some of it. Ben calls them "pockles" and LOVES them. We also got him a used tricycle and he calls it a "bikel."
Other cute new words:
Octopus = opt-gus
Madagascar (the movie) = Maggots gacar
Slinky = hinky
Oliver has started talking too! He says the exact same thing Ben said: it sounds like saying "uncle" or "igloo" with your mouth closed. I think it ends up being Ah-goo later. It sounds so sweet.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Oliver's heritage
We always said Ben had a lot of Chieves in him, and looked like my Uncle Scott (Albert's brother). Donna always said she saw Pat in Ben, and there is one baby picture of Pat we saw that looked very much like Ben. Now Donna says Oliver looks like me, and she sent three baby pictures of me to compare. What do you think?
Oliver at two months
Here is Oliver's two-month photo. We went to the doctor yesterday and he got three shots and Ben got one shot. Lots of Waggoner wailing, but it didn't last too long. They're both pretty tough. Oliver weighs 13 pounds.
Here are Ben's and my Play-doh creations.
Here is Oliver almost-smiling.
Here is Ben painting. He was more interested in painting himself than the paper.
Ben often tells us to draw or paint instead of doing it himself, so I was instructed to paint this picture. Ben told me what colors to make everyone, and said he had to have toes, so he has toes. The next day he said we needed eyes, but we haven't added eyes yet. He tells me who is who on the picture while I'm making dinner. "Ovver," "Benny," "Mommy" and "Dad."
Ben in the baby swing and Oliver trying to sit up in the Bumbo chair.
Here are Ben's and my Play-doh creations.
Here is Oliver almost-smiling.
Here is Ben painting. He was more interested in painting himself than the paper.
Ben often tells us to draw or paint instead of doing it himself, so I was instructed to paint this picture. Ben told me what colors to make everyone, and said he had to have toes, so he has toes. The next day he said we needed eyes, but we haven't added eyes yet. He tells me who is who on the picture while I'm making dinner. "Ovver," "Benny," "Mommy" and "Dad."
Ben in the baby swing and Oliver trying to sit up in the Bumbo chair.
Non-boys post?
How about a post not about the boys, for a change of pace? Here are some random photos. Here is the canyon where we live. Our house is about 8 miles from the intersection you see, and the library is about 9 miles from the intersection, so we are really enjoying mountain living while remaining close to civilization.
We have a horrible "infestation" of wild rose, which has quadruple the number of thorns as regular rose and spreads like wildfire and drives me nuts. Since Ben likes to be barefoot so much, I have tried to destroy them so he can walk in our glorious yard without getting stuck by thorns, but it is a LOSING battle. If I pull up one plant and try to get most of its roots, 20 plants grow back within a week. Here is a photo of the actual roses, which bloom on only a few of them, and I don't consider them worth the thorns.
Albert and I tried to pull up all the wild rose along the house here when they visited in May, and now you can see there are hundreds more sprouts already, all lined up along the house. Arrrgh!!
On the other hand, Columbines are just gorgeous, and here are several in bloom.
We thought these were Hens and Chicks, but alien heads sprouted out of them. Pretty creepy. You can tell I do not have a green thumb at all.
We have managed to paint two rooms so far this summer - our bedroom and my bathroom. I meant to buy a taupe color for the bedroom, and occasionally it looks taupe, but mostly it turned out to be a wimpy lavender. I replaced the dark purple on the wall behind the bed with a brown (again, completely different from the paint chip in the store!)
Here you can see the lavender.
And here's my bathroom: a rich turquoise to go along with the brown fixtures. I'm enjoying it.
And finally, a photo of my new car - a 2005 dark blue Subaru Forester. The poor C-RV was limping along and it feels much better to have the kids in something reliable.
We have a horrible "infestation" of wild rose, which has quadruple the number of thorns as regular rose and spreads like wildfire and drives me nuts. Since Ben likes to be barefoot so much, I have tried to destroy them so he can walk in our glorious yard without getting stuck by thorns, but it is a LOSING battle. If I pull up one plant and try to get most of its roots, 20 plants grow back within a week. Here is a photo of the actual roses, which bloom on only a few of them, and I don't consider them worth the thorns.
Albert and I tried to pull up all the wild rose along the house here when they visited in May, and now you can see there are hundreds more sprouts already, all lined up along the house. Arrrgh!!
On the other hand, Columbines are just gorgeous, and here are several in bloom.
We thought these were Hens and Chicks, but alien heads sprouted out of them. Pretty creepy. You can tell I do not have a green thumb at all.
We have managed to paint two rooms so far this summer - our bedroom and my bathroom. I meant to buy a taupe color for the bedroom, and occasionally it looks taupe, but mostly it turned out to be a wimpy lavender. I replaced the dark purple on the wall behind the bed with a brown (again, completely different from the paint chip in the store!)
Here you can see the lavender.
And here's my bathroom: a rich turquoise to go along with the brown fixtures. I'm enjoying it.
And finally, a photo of my new car - a 2005 dark blue Subaru Forester. The poor C-RV was limping along and it feels much better to have the kids in something reliable.
Delightful picnic and camping trip
Ben's school, Wee Creekers, has a picnic every year for staff and students and we were delighted to be invited. It was held at some campsites in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, just up the road from us. The campground is called Aspen Meadows, and with all the rain we've had, the aspens are beautiful, so you can imagine it was a gorgeous setting. It was great to meet other moms and get to know Linda, the director, better. It turns out there was an extra tent site, so we ran home to get our camping gear and came back. Ben had a blast playing with his friends. I would say Martin is his best friend right now, and Martin is such a sweetie. He's four, I think, and really takes care of Ben. He and all the kids say "MarTIN" instead of the usual "Mart'n." I think his parents actually pronounce it that way too, therefore that would be the correct pronunciation. Ben puts extra emphasis on the TIN. Our neighbor, Mattux, was camping too, and Ben ran around yelling, "Maggots!! MarTIN!! Lightin Ween!!" (Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars). He loved visiting other people's tents and spent a lot of time inside "his" tent and our tent. He couldn't really keep up with the 4- and 5-year-old boys as they ran around fighting over guns and climbing on rocks. Ben also insisted on being barefoot, oddly, and got lots of comments about having tough feet. Below are photos of Tim at the picnic, Ben in someone's tent, Joanna with Oliver in the Moby Wrap, and a group photo. MarTIN is in the reddish baseball cap looking at the camera, and Mattux is squatting and has red pajama pants on. The lady in the cowboy hat is Linda, the Wee Creekers director/owner.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Waggoner Boys Updates
This past weekend I was making lunch in the kitchen and Ben stepped out onto the deck. He said "Mom! Baby deer!" and I thought "Huh? Does he see a deer and he wants Oliver to look at it?" I went to look and sure enough, there was a baby deer in our yard!! It was as big as a medium-sized dog and had the baby deer spots. We scared him and his mom and they left quickly. Ben knew what he was talking about!
We bought a potty in hopes of someday potty-training Ben. He thinks it is neat, and understands what it is, but shows no signs of really using it. We did some pretending with poop made out of play-doh and had some laughs. Then we took his diaper off and tried to convince him to at least pee in the potty. He sat down on it several times and seemed to try, but then he walked 5 feet away and peed on the floor. Who knows what that means? We've heard advice from other moms of boys to just be easy-going about it. We'll see!
Oliver is starting to smile a little more and it is the cutest thing in the world. His whole face changes. I can't believe what a good sleeper he is, and you can't believe how thankful we are! Let's hope it continues. He has a bad case of infant acne or heat rash on his face and neck and his beautifully clear skin is gone. It seems like it itches because he clumsily scratches his face all the time.
We went to Delaney's birthday pool party this past Saturday (Delaney is my boss' 3-year-old daughter). It was pretty cloudy and almost cold, even down in Westminster (what's up with this weather??), and Tim and I and the other parents were discussing the weather and the fact that it was actually nicer than having the sun blaring down and worrying about reapplying sunscreen over and over. That evening Tim and I were appalled at ourselves because Ben had a really bad sunburn on his back. Even though we were all discussing sunscreen, and we KNOW that the UV rays still come through the clouds, we neglected to put sunscreen on poor Benny and he got his first bad burn. We've failed him!
Otherwise, it was a fun party, and it sure is nice to hear the laughter of toddlers!
Ben has begun a disturbing habit of picking at scabs. I wonder how much of it is an instinct (animals pick at themselves) or if he has learned it from watching Tim and me. In any case, he has picked at a scab on the bridge of his nose until it is a horrible sore. I don't even remember what it started as, but picking has really enlarged it. Along with all his other owies, he looks like a pitiful, beaten-up little kid.
We bought a potty in hopes of someday potty-training Ben. He thinks it is neat, and understands what it is, but shows no signs of really using it. We did some pretending with poop made out of play-doh and had some laughs. Then we took his diaper off and tried to convince him to at least pee in the potty. He sat down on it several times and seemed to try, but then he walked 5 feet away and peed on the floor. Who knows what that means? We've heard advice from other moms of boys to just be easy-going about it. We'll see!
Oliver is starting to smile a little more and it is the cutest thing in the world. His whole face changes. I can't believe what a good sleeper he is, and you can't believe how thankful we are! Let's hope it continues. He has a bad case of infant acne or heat rash on his face and neck and his beautifully clear skin is gone. It seems like it itches because he clumsily scratches his face all the time.
We went to Delaney's birthday pool party this past Saturday (Delaney is my boss' 3-year-old daughter). It was pretty cloudy and almost cold, even down in Westminster (what's up with this weather??), and Tim and I and the other parents were discussing the weather and the fact that it was actually nicer than having the sun blaring down and worrying about reapplying sunscreen over and over. That evening Tim and I were appalled at ourselves because Ben had a really bad sunburn on his back. Even though we were all discussing sunscreen, and we KNOW that the UV rays still come through the clouds, we neglected to put sunscreen on poor Benny and he got his first bad burn. We've failed him!
Otherwise, it was a fun party, and it sure is nice to hear the laughter of toddlers!
Ben has begun a disturbing habit of picking at scabs. I wonder how much of it is an instinct (animals pick at themselves) or if he has learned it from watching Tim and me. In any case, he has picked at a scab on the bridge of his nose until it is a horrible sore. I don't even remember what it started as, but picking has really enlarged it. Along with all his other owies, he looks like a pitiful, beaten-up little kid.
Benglish continued
Wee Creekers (Ben's daycare) = weekers
Mattux (5-yr-old boy across the street) = Maggots (this one provides endless amounts of amusement)
Lightning McQueen = Lightin Ween
Please = wease
Jump = wump
Big boy bed = boy bed
Bull dozer = bozer
Mattux (5-yr-old boy across the street) = Maggots (this one provides endless amounts of amusement)
Lightning McQueen = Lightin Ween
Please = wease
Jump = wump
Big boy bed = boy bed
Bull dozer = bozer
Thursday, June 11, 2009
And Oliver updates
Newborn things I don't want to forget:
- the range of funny noises Oliver can make - grunts, squeaks, sighs, snorts...
- the "satisfied" posture after a good feeding - legs pulled up tight, arms under the chin, head stretched back, and lips pursed in a sweet little kissable bow...
- the unique newborn cry that goes away so soon...
I was worried about the fact that Oliver should be focusing on faces and making eye contact by this time, and he seems to avoid looking at my face all the time. I know sometimes they avoid eye contact because of over-stimulation, but I thought he never looked at me. I also looked in Ben's baby book and saw that Ben's first smiles were at 6 weeks. So I grew doubly-worried that Oliver didn't seem even close to smiling or interacting at all. Tim and I got down on the floor and tried to get him to look at us, and he made perfectly good eye contact with both of us and gave us two almost-smiles. Just like when we would worry about Ben's milestones and sit down to test him, all ends up being well. I think I was always holding Oliver on the sofa, and with the bright sun coming from behind me, my face was in shadow and he couldn't really see it. We'll keep watching for a real smile and try to get photos!
- the range of funny noises Oliver can make - grunts, squeaks, sighs, snorts...
- the "satisfied" posture after a good feeding - legs pulled up tight, arms under the chin, head stretched back, and lips pursed in a sweet little kissable bow...
- the unique newborn cry that goes away so soon...
I was worried about the fact that Oliver should be focusing on faces and making eye contact by this time, and he seems to avoid looking at my face all the time. I know sometimes they avoid eye contact because of over-stimulation, but I thought he never looked at me. I also looked in Ben's baby book and saw that Ben's first smiles were at 6 weeks. So I grew doubly-worried that Oliver didn't seem even close to smiling or interacting at all. Tim and I got down on the floor and tried to get him to look at us, and he made perfectly good eye contact with both of us and gave us two almost-smiles. Just like when we would worry about Ben's milestones and sit down to test him, all ends up being well. I think I was always holding Oliver on the sofa, and with the bright sun coming from behind me, my face was in shadow and he couldn't really see it. We'll keep watching for a real smile and try to get photos!
Funny Benny
Although Ben can say many consonants, I think he gives up when there are two consonants together and just substitutes a Y or W. For example, he can say "Pippi" just fine, but the "pl" in Play-doh seems to intimidate him, so he calls it "Way-doh." Same with "please" - it is "wease." I was trying to encourage him to at least use the P and say "Pay-doh," and he was hilarious in giving me explicit instructions in return, complete with teacher-like hand motions: "No, Pay-Way-doh." I would say "No, try just Pay-doh," and he would again say, "No, Pay-WAY-doh!" Not sure how he got that, but creative, huh? It made me laugh.
Ben still thinks it is hilarious to torment the cats, just like when he loved trying to run them over with his walker when he was learning to walk. The other day he got the idea of throwing pine cones (still "co-cones") at Pippi, and we had a blast chasing her around the yard with pine cones. Daddy has much better aim than Mommy and a bit longer range than Benny, and he landed one right behind her when she wasn't paying attention. She jumped 4 feet straight up in the air and Ben and I collapsed into hysterical laughing.
A while back Ben started to love the I Spy-type of books where he looks at a picture of an object on one page and then finds the object among other things on the next page. At first he always had to put his finger on each picture, which was cute. One time I couldn't find the picture and I said "Butterfly, where are you?" and since then Ben often says, "Mom, are you?" or "Thomas, are you?" with a sing-song lilt. The "where" isn't really there.
When Tim tries to teach Ben about being careful, such as at the edge of a cliff, or on a ladder, Ben always turns it around and tells Tim to be careful. "Daddy, carepull! Carepull!"
Ben has learned his colors since starting at Wee Creekers, and he usually has a tantrum when it is time to go home. One day he said "No home!" in a matter of fact way. He's learned a couple of new mannerisms, including a really cute facial expression we'll try to capture on camera.
Since his bedroom flooded twice now and we're worried about mold, we moved him into the guest room and he has slept two nights on the double bed. We thought he'd want to sleep in his crib forever, but he seems to have adjusted just fine. We've been having lots of trouble with diapers overflowing overnight and have been trying to limit his drinks in the late evenings. If he asks for juice between dinner and bedtime, Tim tells him he can only have a little at bedtime. One night Ben then said, "Bed!" and headed towards the bedroom. He was willing to go to bed a half hour early to get juice! (and yes, we've discussed a middle-of-the-night diaper change, and concern over his seemingly-excessive thirst.)
Tim puts Ben to bed while I put Oliver to bed, and I love listening to their voices during storytime. Often I hear Ben's voice more than Daddy's, as if Ben is reading books to Tim instead of vice versa.
Ben has already reached the stage where everything is much more fun if Mom or Dad are watching, and apparently we watch much better if he asks multiple times. Last night, for example, I was trying to make dinner in the kitchen and Ben had a piece of rope and thought he had learned to jump rope (well, he was jumping and moving the rope around...). Even though I was already watching him, he had to say "Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Watch!" each time he tried his jump. How endearing.
Ben still thinks it is hilarious to torment the cats, just like when he loved trying to run them over with his walker when he was learning to walk. The other day he got the idea of throwing pine cones (still "co-cones") at Pippi, and we had a blast chasing her around the yard with pine cones. Daddy has much better aim than Mommy and a bit longer range than Benny, and he landed one right behind her when she wasn't paying attention. She jumped 4 feet straight up in the air and Ben and I collapsed into hysterical laughing.
A while back Ben started to love the I Spy-type of books where he looks at a picture of an object on one page and then finds the object among other things on the next page. At first he always had to put his finger on each picture, which was cute. One time I couldn't find the picture and I said "Butterfly, where are you?" and since then Ben often says, "Mom, are you?" or "Thomas, are you?" with a sing-song lilt. The "where" isn't really there.
When Tim tries to teach Ben about being careful, such as at the edge of a cliff, or on a ladder, Ben always turns it around and tells Tim to be careful. "Daddy, carepull! Carepull!"
Ben has learned his colors since starting at Wee Creekers, and he usually has a tantrum when it is time to go home. One day he said "No home!" in a matter of fact way. He's learned a couple of new mannerisms, including a really cute facial expression we'll try to capture on camera.
Since his bedroom flooded twice now and we're worried about mold, we moved him into the guest room and he has slept two nights on the double bed. We thought he'd want to sleep in his crib forever, but he seems to have adjusted just fine. We've been having lots of trouble with diapers overflowing overnight and have been trying to limit his drinks in the late evenings. If he asks for juice between dinner and bedtime, Tim tells him he can only have a little at bedtime. One night Ben then said, "Bed!" and headed towards the bedroom. He was willing to go to bed a half hour early to get juice! (and yes, we've discussed a middle-of-the-night diaper change, and concern over his seemingly-excessive thirst.)
Tim puts Ben to bed while I put Oliver to bed, and I love listening to their voices during storytime. Often I hear Ben's voice more than Daddy's, as if Ben is reading books to Tim instead of vice versa.
Ben has already reached the stage where everything is much more fun if Mom or Dad are watching, and apparently we watch much better if he asks multiple times. Last night, for example, I was trying to make dinner in the kitchen and Ben had a piece of rope and thought he had learned to jump rope (well, he was jumping and moving the rope around...). Even though I was already watching him, he had to say "Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Watch!" each time he tried his jump. How endearing.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Update on Oliver
Oliver is doing well - he eats, poops, and sleeps according to his job description. He is getting pudgy and I would say he is a lot more easy-going than Ben. He definitely sleeps more than Ben!
Aunt Wende, Uncle Michael, Grammy Pat visit
Aunt Wende and Uncle Michael came from Kansas City to visit for Memorial Day weekend, and Grammy Pat drove out too. Ben really enjoyed seeing them, and loves Michael. He says his name perfectly and prefers his company. It was great to see everyone and wish all the relatives lived closer together.
Ben's new school
Ben started this week at his new daycare here in the canyon. It is called Wee Creekers and we absolutely LOVE the place!! Because Ben is close to two and a half, he was put in the preschool room instead of the toddler room, and when Tim and I saw what the preschoolers were doing, we had doubts about Ben's ability to fit in. We wanted structured activities and a more structured day, but after having Ben "run wild" at home, we didn't see how he would adapt to eating at a table, eating only his own food (not doing what I call "Helen Keller eating"), taking a nap at nap time, on a nap mat (last weekend Ben took naps in three different places, and had to be coerced and enticed), leaving toys alone after free play is over and moving to a different activity, etc. So we were anxious to hear how he did when we went to get him Monday afternoon. Perhaps they were just being nice, but the teachers said he did wonderfully. Yay Ben! They also said he is really sweet, independent and well-adjusted. He runs in happily in the mornings and doesn't want to leave in the afternoons. We feel guilty putting him in daycare when I'm on maternity leave, but at the same time, we feel that he is better off there than at home, in a lot of ways. So a little of both is a nice balance and he really seems to enjoy it. We can't wait until he can come home and tell us how his day was, what he learned and what happened.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Oliver at four weeks
Does the outfit look familiar? Compare to Ben at 4 weeks: http://watchbennygrow.blogspot.com/2007/09/4-weeks.html
Monday, May 18, 2009
Ben's latest antics
Having a newborn in the house has renewed my distaste for Flynn (his hair is everywhere, his meows wake everyone, he needs too much attention, he wants to sit on top of the baby to get attention from me, etc), but I decided not to try to get rid of him because of his friendship with Ben. He and Ben love exploring the yard together, and they actually stick together for a long time.
His pull dog, Snoopy, is also a good friend and companion.
I love his little boy stance - squatting down to examine something fascinating on the ground. Lately he loves to kill bugs ("buggies") which isn't good. He also loves to turn rocks over to see who is living underneath and look for worms.
His first lie? One of Ben's favorite activities these days is getting in our cars and pretending to drive, etc. He found my secret stash of Fiddle Faddle in my car and dove into it. I saw him chewing and when I shook my head "no" he stopped chewing. Then when I got in the car with him, he tried to hide the Fiddle Faddle box from me. Was this his first attempt at lying?? I'm not sure, but I thought it was pretty funny.
His pull dog, Snoopy, is also a good friend and companion.
I love his little boy stance - squatting down to examine something fascinating on the ground. Lately he loves to kill bugs ("buggies") which isn't good. He also loves to turn rocks over to see who is living underneath and look for worms.
His first lie? One of Ben's favorite activities these days is getting in our cars and pretending to drive, etc. He found my secret stash of Fiddle Faddle in my car and dove into it. I saw him chewing and when I shook my head "no" he stopped chewing. Then when I got in the car with him, he tried to hide the Fiddle Faddle box from me. Was this his first attempt at lying?? I'm not sure, but I thought it was pretty funny.
Oma and Opa visit
Oma and Opa (Donna and Al) came from Alabama to visit for a week and it was so nice to have them here. After they left, Ben asked for them just like he asked for Grammy Pat after she left. That always breaks my heart.
They did lots of projects around the house and Ben "helped." While Opa painted the windows, Ben painted everything else (with water). While Opa and Oma did some digging, Ben used his shovel to fling some dirt around. He digs really well and then flings the dirt over his shoulder. Oma cleaned out my car and Ben sat in the car with her and exclaimed "Mess!"
We went to the zoo on a weekday when we thought it would be quiet, but apparently it was a day when every school in Colorado was there. Amidst the chaos of children, Ben enjoyed looking at some animals.
Ben had some pretty spectacular tantrums while they were here, but they said they saw plenty of "sweet Ben" too, and we hoped most of the problem was that his routine was all messed up (not going to daycare, new baby, grandparents visiting, etc).
Ben assumes everyone wants to share food with him (I guess we've taught him that). Below he is assuming Opa will share his ice cream.
Pippi and Flynn are really feeling the extra body in the house that needs attention. Pippi tried to get loving from the visiting nurse, from several guests, and from Oma while she was holding Oliver. Ugh!
Oliver was just sweet. :-)
They did lots of projects around the house and Ben "helped." While Opa painted the windows, Ben painted everything else (with water). While Opa and Oma did some digging, Ben used his shovel to fling some dirt around. He digs really well and then flings the dirt over his shoulder. Oma cleaned out my car and Ben sat in the car with her and exclaimed "Mess!"
We went to the zoo on a weekday when we thought it would be quiet, but apparently it was a day when every school in Colorado was there. Amidst the chaos of children, Ben enjoyed looking at some animals.
Ben had some pretty spectacular tantrums while they were here, but they said they saw plenty of "sweet Ben" too, and we hoped most of the problem was that his routine was all messed up (not going to daycare, new baby, grandparents visiting, etc).
Ben assumes everyone wants to share food with him (I guess we've taught him that). Below he is assuming Opa will share his ice cream.
Pippi and Flynn are really feeling the extra body in the house that needs attention. Pippi tried to get loving from the visiting nurse, from several guests, and from Oma while she was holding Oliver. Ugh!
Oliver was just sweet. :-)
And more Benglish!
Crocodile = gottadile
Bathtub = taybub
Joseph (the teddy bear) = Jowoff
Pacifier = wire
Marbles = mahmels
Ragamuffin = raga [pause] mummin
Hummingbirds = hummin [pause] birds
Stroller = roder
Chocolate = chocate
Lilac = yacket
Picnic = picket
Baseball = baball
Elephant = ehment
Zebra = yebah
Bathtub = taybub
Joseph (the teddy bear) = Jowoff
Pacifier = wire
Marbles = mahmels
Ragamuffin = raga [pause] mummin
Hummingbirds = hummin [pause] birds
Stroller = roder
Chocolate = chocate
Lilac = yacket
Picnic = picket
Baseball = baball
Elephant = ehment
Zebra = yebah
Oliver's homecoming
You can see Oliver's homecoming in one of the videos. Ben was a little scared of him at first. Since then Ben has been really sweet to Oliver most of the time. He wants to hold him quite often, he brings him his pacifier ("wire") and tells me it is time for him to eat and does other sweet helpful things. He likes to kiss him too.
So we haven't seen any conscious or outright jealousy. We have seen an increase in behavior problems though. Ben has just been having extra tantrums or bad spells, as if he is really tired, which must be unconscious reactions to the baby. With my hormones doing crazy things to me, I usually end up crying with Ben. If he is having one of his "heartbroken" tantrums, it breaks my heart too. Otherwise, I feel hopeless about how to deal with him or how to help him, and sad that we've changed his life so much. I guess we're all saying goodbye to our old life that revolved around Ben, and that is hard.
Oliver is doing well. He seemed to catch onto breastfeeding a lot easier than Ben did and eats well. At his 2-week appointment he had gained a pound exactly, which is great news. He seems a little more easy-going than Ben was. He does cry when he is left alone, but at times he'll sit alone and awake and content without crying. He loves being in the wrap or sling and moving around with me. Colic tends to start at three weeks and end at 12 weeks, so we'll see what happens this week! In retrospect, Ben was pretty colicky - he cried a lot.
So far Oliver has been in the newborn stage of sleeping a ton, so we're not too tired (except for the continued attempt to catch up from the first all-nighter). Ben was a pretty good night sleeper until later months. I'd really love to do my part to prevent sleep problems with Oliver, so I'm more conscious of trying other ways to soothe him besides comfort nursing, and I want to try to avoid nursing to sleep. Wish us luck!
So we haven't seen any conscious or outright jealousy. We have seen an increase in behavior problems though. Ben has just been having extra tantrums or bad spells, as if he is really tired, which must be unconscious reactions to the baby. With my hormones doing crazy things to me, I usually end up crying with Ben. If he is having one of his "heartbroken" tantrums, it breaks my heart too. Otherwise, I feel hopeless about how to deal with him or how to help him, and sad that we've changed his life so much. I guess we're all saying goodbye to our old life that revolved around Ben, and that is hard.
Oliver is doing well. He seemed to catch onto breastfeeding a lot easier than Ben did and eats well. At his 2-week appointment he had gained a pound exactly, which is great news. He seems a little more easy-going than Ben was. He does cry when he is left alone, but at times he'll sit alone and awake and content without crying. He loves being in the wrap or sling and moving around with me. Colic tends to start at three weeks and end at 12 weeks, so we'll see what happens this week! In retrospect, Ben was pretty colicky - he cried a lot.
So far Oliver has been in the newborn stage of sleeping a ton, so we're not too tired (except for the continued attempt to catch up from the first all-nighter). Ben was a pretty good night sleeper until later months. I'd really love to do my part to prevent sleep problems with Oliver, so I'm more conscious of trying other ways to soothe him besides comfort nursing, and I want to try to avoid nursing to sleep. Wish us luck!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
New pictures of the boys and Donna and Al's visit.
Donna, Al and Ben having a picnic in the yard.
Ben wanted to take a nap on the bench out front. He didn't actually nap, but lay there comfortably for a long time.
Kisses!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)