Last Wednesday night Ben was sooooo much fun! Tim came down to pick him up from daycare because I was at a meeting. I met them in the library parking lot and from 30 feet away he yelled "Mommy!!" and ran to me with his arms outstretched. Then he gave me the best hug. Diane came out of the library and Ben told her something really exciting about the snow. Then he led us into the library and played screaming peekaboo with Mary and Daddy. Then he went running and screaming out of the staff room into the library and told Reese something really exciting about the stuffed dog in the Children's room. Then we went out to eat and he was pretty well-behaved though loud. He said "Yummy!" and gobbled his macaroni and cheese. it was our usual salad/buffet restaurant and every time Tim and I went to get something else, he greeted us so sweetly when we came back to the table. "Mommy!!" "Dad-dee!!" He babbled all the way home and had a blast at home running the halls with Daddy, laughing hysterically when he ran his pushtoy into Daddy's heels.
I really love how outgoing he is and how brave. I know I was a child who hid behind my mother's knees. I think Ben is probably having a lot more fun interacting with people than I did when I was young because I was afraid of people. I love how he looks someone in the eye and tells them something, and they way he charges ahead without checking with us. I know we need to teach him about "stranger danger" and we have to watch him carefully in public places. He can be gone in a second!
He will now basically repeat almost anything you ask him to say, so his language is building daily. I've probably said already that one of the cutest things he does is walk away from you and say "mon!" (Come on!) and make a "come here" motion with his hand. We got some healthy cookies and shared some with him and he unfortunately wants them with every meal now. He says "cook - ee" and kind of jumps off the k if you know what I mean. At least he still wants a "hopple" (apple) every day too.
Christmas shopping hasn't been quite as easy this year as it was last year. Last year he was "contained" in the shopping carts and this year he wants to get down and run around or push the carts or play in the toy aisle forever. "Down!" "Down!" But he has been a real trooper again.
We have tons of fun new videos we need to get on the blog, but we might need to wait until we get better internet access in a couple of weeks.
We can't wait to see everyone soon!
If you haven't seen Tim's blog, here are some photos of the house we're hoping to buy next week (closing on Dec 19)
http://listings.listhub.net/pages/IRESCO/576071/?channel=cyberhomes
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Time to learn names
Since he is picking up words so fast, we will work on teaching him "Aunt Wende," "Grammy Pat," "Grandma Donna" or "Oma Donna," etc and see what happens before Christmas.
Snow was predicted this morning, but I don't know how Ben knew that. When we got up this morning, he pointed outside and said "no?" There was indeed a dusting of snow!
When Ben asked for graham bunnies ("money") this morning, I said "let me get a bowl to put them in." He said "bowl?"
Ben accompanied me to a staff meeting yesterday morning. It was just a few minutes of updates/meeting and then we decorated the library. He was so well-behaved and I was proud of him. It's nice to have a little buddy with me.
Snow was predicted this morning, but I don't know how Ben knew that. When we got up this morning, he pointed outside and said "no?" There was indeed a dusting of snow!
When Ben asked for graham bunnies ("money") this morning, I said "let me get a bowl to put them in." He said "bowl?"
Ben accompanied me to a staff meeting yesterday morning. It was just a few minutes of updates/meeting and then we decorated the library. He was so well-behaved and I was proud of him. It's nice to have a little buddy with me.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A sick week
Poor Benny has been sick for almost a week. He started having stomach problems (both directions) Thursday night and then got a horrible cough and runny nose. I don't think he ever had a fever, so I don't think it was the flu. He seems to be a little better now, but still lots of messy diaper changes and kleenex. We had a couple of low-key days, staying inside in our PJs and watching a Thomas the Train video over and over and over.
Lots more words (I should probably stop counting and reporting soon):
- more (pronounced perfectly)
- cook (always whispered)
- help ("hop")
- stir ("grr") (he learned stir and cook when he was helping me on Thanksgiving)
- Ben ("Bean") - he responds when you ask him what his name is!
- orange ("oin" - sounds just like corn and oink)
- snow ("no" but it sounds different from "No!")
More later!
Lots more words (I should probably stop counting and reporting soon):
- more (pronounced perfectly)
- cook (always whispered)
- help ("hop")
- stir ("grr") (he learned stir and cook when he was helping me on Thanksgiving)
- Ben ("Bean") - he responds when you ask him what his name is!
- orange ("oin" - sounds just like corn and oink)
- snow ("no" but it sounds different from "No!")
More later!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thanksgiving week
I'm so thankful for my sweet, sweet Benny!!
Ben and I were playing ball indoors when he saw a piece of trash on the floor. He said "Eee" (which means Eww), picked it up, and walked over to put it in the trash can!
- One day on the way to work, Ben looked over at some railroad tracks that had a train stopped on them. He pointed and said "doo doo!!" (choo choo) That was before it changed to doo-dee.
If he gets up with Daddy before me and they come to wake me up, Ben commands me "down" out of bed over and over (he doesn't like to cuddle in bed anymore, but perhaps it is because it is 29 degrees in our bedroom). I will have to teach him that we say "get up" when we get out of bed instead of "get down."
He seems to understand the meaning of small ("ma") and medium ("me-ea") now. He'll point to things and say "ma" or "me-ea."
When we get home from work/daycare, I get him out of the car and tell him to walk toward the door, knock, and yell Daddy! He walked right to the door and was knocking when I got there with the bags of groceries.
More and more words:
- hot
- hat ("hot")
- gum (he reached into my purse, pulled out my chewing gum, held it out to me and said "Gum?" I have no idea where he learned that.)
Ben and I were playing ball indoors when he saw a piece of trash on the floor. He said "Eee" (which means Eww), picked it up, and walked over to put it in the trash can!
- One day on the way to work, Ben looked over at some railroad tracks that had a train stopped on them. He pointed and said "doo doo!!" (choo choo) That was before it changed to doo-dee.
If he gets up with Daddy before me and they come to wake me up, Ben commands me "down" out of bed over and over (he doesn't like to cuddle in bed anymore, but perhaps it is because it is 29 degrees in our bedroom). I will have to teach him that we say "get up" when we get out of bed instead of "get down."
He seems to understand the meaning of small ("ma") and medium ("me-ea") now. He'll point to things and say "ma" or "me-ea."
When we get home from work/daycare, I get him out of the car and tell him to walk toward the door, knock, and yell Daddy! He walked right to the door and was knocking when I got there with the bags of groceries.
More and more words:
- hot
- hat ("hot")
- gum (he reached into my purse, pulled out my chewing gum, held it out to me and said "Gum?" I have no idea where he learned that.)
- banana ("nani")
- chair (I forget how he said it - "churr" maybe?)
He still isn't sleeping well, and I just don't understand. He was fully weaned a week after we started, so nursing is out of the equation. Now he wants one of us to sit with him while he goes to sleep, and he wakes up between 0 and 6 times a night. He stands up and whines and says Mommy or Dad-dee. We walk in the room, tell him to lay down and go back to sleep, and he immediately lays down and goes back to sleep. He isn't getting much reward for waking up, but maybe he just needs to be reassured we are there.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Adventurous Eater Ben
We went to a Tibetan restaurant last night and they brought some Tibetan "chips" and four kinds of Tibetan "salsa" immediately to our table. One sauce was green, one was red, one was brown and one was white. After we finished the chips, Ben lined up the little dishes of sauce and used a spoon to sample each one again and again. The waitress was very impressed.
His favorite foods this week are apples ("hopples") and tangerines. He asks for hopples all day long.
More words:
- Door ("dooer")
- Dorie from Nemo ("dewey")
- Tractor ("rodder")
- he seems to call Joseph Tractor, unless he is pronouncing Joseph and tractor the same
- He also called the Tibetan snow lion figure on the mantle at the restaurant last night a tractor
- Bear ("burr")
- Baby
- Meow
- Come on ("mon")
- Thomas the choo choo train has become "Doo-dee" instead of "doo doo." I wonder if it is because it is similar to Dad-dee
- Don't know if I said before that when he sees letters, he says "A" "B" "E" and "R." He seems to say Rs ok, but has never said S at all.
- Last night his diaper came undone, so he wet the bed and when he started crying, I came in and he told me he pee-peed ("bee bee") . He also has a book about potty training, and he picks up the book and say bee bee!
His favorite game in the bathtub is to close the shower doors ("dooer") except for cracks at the two ends, hand me a toy out of the one of the cracks, and then scoot to the other end of the tub to wait for me to hand him the toy back through the other crack. Over and over.
Every night for bedtime stories, we go through his pile of books and he either accepts or rejects each one. He has definite preferences that change over the week.
Whenever either Tim or I appear after being gone for a while, Ben yells "Mommy!" or "Dad-dee!" and runs to give us a hug. That's got to be one of the best parts of parenthood.
His favorite foods this week are apples ("hopples") and tangerines. He asks for hopples all day long.
More words:
- Door ("dooer")
- Dorie from Nemo ("dewey")
- Tractor ("rodder")
- he seems to call Joseph Tractor, unless he is pronouncing Joseph and tractor the same
- He also called the Tibetan snow lion figure on the mantle at the restaurant last night a tractor
- Bear ("burr")
- Baby
- Meow
- Come on ("mon")
- Thomas the choo choo train has become "Doo-dee" instead of "doo doo." I wonder if it is because it is similar to Dad-dee
- Don't know if I said before that when he sees letters, he says "A" "B" "E" and "R." He seems to say Rs ok, but has never said S at all.
- Last night his diaper came undone, so he wet the bed and when he started crying, I came in and he told me he pee-peed ("bee bee") . He also has a book about potty training, and he picks up the book and say bee bee!
His favorite game in the bathtub is to close the shower doors ("dooer") except for cracks at the two ends, hand me a toy out of the one of the cracks, and then scoot to the other end of the tub to wait for me to hand him the toy back through the other crack. Over and over.
Every night for bedtime stories, we go through his pile of books and he either accepts or rejects each one. He has definite preferences that change over the week.
Whenever either Tim or I appear after being gone for a while, Ben yells "Mommy!" or "Dad-dee!" and runs to give us a hug. That's got to be one of the best parts of parenthood.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Vocabulary!
Benny's vocabulary is taking off, as everyone told us it would. New words this week:
- apple (pronounced "hopple")
- down (he knows to say it when he wants to get out of the high chair, but he also orders us "down!" when he wants us to get down and play on the floor)
- choo choo (his name for Thomas, pronounced "doo doo")
- up
- hole
- in
- meow
- bye!
- kitty
- happy
- pony (not sure he knows what happy or pony mean, but he will repeat them)
- And his use of the word "no!" is being perfected every day! He has learned to yell "no!" at the cats whenever he sees them. I say "no" to them only when they scratch the carpet, so I'm not sure how he learned that. From Tim?
More later!
- apple (pronounced "hopple")
- down (he knows to say it when he wants to get out of the high chair, but he also orders us "down!" when he wants us to get down and play on the floor)
- choo choo (his name for Thomas, pronounced "doo doo")
- up
- hole
- in
- meow
- bye!
- kitty
- happy
- pony (not sure he knows what happy or pony mean, but he will repeat them)
- And his use of the word "no!" is being perfected every day! He has learned to yell "no!" at the cats whenever he sees them. I say "no" to them only when they scratch the carpet, so I'm not sure how he learned that. From Tim?
More later!
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