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!