Messy Eater

I often think about the inherent differences between boys and girls. I think this video is an example of a boy being a boy. Ben just likes to dump stuff, bang things, and generally create trouble. And this face is just too cute to be mad at. As you can see in this video, generally his reaction at my discipline is laughter. (Not that I'm trying very hard here. I just couldn't work up too much annoyance at this.)

The Arboretum

On Sunday morning we met up with our friends Meg and Ed and their daughter, Scarlett, to check out the Children's Garden at The Arboretum. Meg and Ed told us it was a great place for kids, and they were so right! I don't know why we waited so long to check it out.

We met in the arboretum's restaurant for a quick breakfast. Ben gave Scarlett a nice hug to start the day. (Anyone have any camera recommendations? From this pic, it is clear that my camera is starting to go... Or is it just my skills...or lack thereof?)

Then we were off to check out the garden.

Ben really loves anything to do with water, so this fountain was a big hit.

He was really excited to be able to run wild here. It was nice to be somewhere so kid-friendly.

Then there was a little climbing...

And more water fun. Ben left this water feature kicking and screaming, but he was quickly appeased by the next attraction.

At one point the kids were separated, then ran to each other when they spotted one another.

With an unfortunate outcome... Poor Ben took the brunt of this one.

Next it was on to the bridges. Big fun!

Scarlett tried to make this wall into a seat. They were starting to get tired and slowed down at this point...
But the excitement of this bridge gave them their second wind. They went across this thing at least 4 or 5 times and would have kept going...

A short break on the hill. They loved running (or scooting and falling) up and down the hill.

Until Ben spotted the bark. He has a fascination with bark... Yeah, I have no idea what is so great about bark; go figure.

Our last stop was the maze area. They held hands. Cutest.thing.ever.

Then Ben crashed in the car. It was a fun but tiring day.

Peek-a-Boo

Ben is still a really big fan of peek-a-boo. Tonight he decided to play an impromptu game at the table while having strawberries after dinner.

He also had his 18-month check-up this afternoon. (Hence the subway for dinner; we got home after 6 from his appointment.) All is well; pretty uneventful appointment...

Playing

Foam letters are great accessories.


And not much beats spinning around in the office chair.

Teddy Bears

Ben recently noticed the huge teddy bear on the top shelf in his room. Brad bought it for him for Christmas before he was even born. So I took it down for him, along with the baby bear (mine from childhood). Here he is carrying around the huge bear by its ear. So gentle.

I asked him what the bear's name was. First he told me dada. I told him that wouldn't work, so he told me Bobo. And Bobo it is.

After he put Bobo on the couch, he turned his attention to the baby bear. (Yet to be named.) This bear is more his size, so he likes to carry it around. I guess he decided the bear was tired, and clearly the best place to nap is on top of the CD player.

Ben quickly got him up from that nap, at which point he gave him a hug.

And a kiss. Wish I'd gotten this pic from a better angle. Ben loves giving kisses.

Big Boy Chair

My baby is 18 months old today. How did that happen?

I miss my baby, but at the same time, I love my toddler. I love his growing independence. Case in point, tonight he decided he wanted to sit in a real chair instead of his high chair for dinner. (Granted, he has never been a big fan of a high chair, but this is the first time he tried to sit in a real chair.)

I thought I'd let him try it, assuming he would quickly bore of it and try to climb down. But no, he happily and politely sat in the chair for about 10 minutes (years in baby time, especially on a weekday after daycare).

His happiness with the chair might have had something to do with the french fries. Ben LOVES french fries. (Don't judge our dinner people, I'm sick, Ben's sick, nothing was defrosted, and I just didn't feel like dealing with it, so a drive-thru it was.)

I did sneak some strawberries in there. Ben has finally ended his anti-fruit strike, and now enjoys blueberries, strawberries, and bananas. Progress.

This face just cracks me up. And Dee's begging both annoys and cracks me up at the same time.

I think it is time to buy Ben a booster seat and let him try his hand at the table more often.

Anniversary

Today Mike and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. Since it was a Tuesday and a work/school night, we just had a low-key dinner at Biaggi's, a nearby sit-down Italian restaurant. (The same one we went to for Ben's first birthday.)

Ben enjoyed some spaghetti and meatballs. (Ben loves himself some spaghetti!) I gave him a fork, which he held on to but did not use. He prefers the faster, more direct method of using his hands. All class, this kid.


He washed it down with some milk. Ben loves staws but hasn't mastered the concept yet. He still tries to tilt the cup up, which defeats the purpose of a straw. This is one of his better attempts. Generally the cup is practically upside down.

While we waited for the sundae that comes with a kid's meal, Ben entertained himself (and us) by playing peek-a-boo using the paper table liner.

(Yes, Mike wrote LOVE to me with Ben's crayons. Aw.)

Peek-a-boo was quickly forgotten when the sundae arrived. Ben used his own spoon, his hands, and had me feed him with a spoon. Anything to get ice cream to his mouth faster.

Good times!

Accessorizing

Ben loves to accessorize. Especially with things that aren't his.


I think the milk dribble on his chin is his best accessory though.

Benisms

To steal a phrase from Jaimee, lately Ben is starting to share some Benisms. Here are a few recent ones:

1. Recently he mastered going down the stairs by himself. He scoots down on his stomach. Only he lays down on the floor in front of the stairs about 5 feet from the actual stairs. It would be sooo much faster in the morning to just carry him down, but he insists on scooting down himself. This morning, about 3 steps from the bottom, he stopped, looked at me, and asked "baba?" (this is Ben's word for bottle or cup; thankfully he is officially off bottles now!). I told him he could have a baba when he got down the stairs. He looked at me again and asked "cheese?" I told him he could have some cheese too. He gave me one emphatic nod of his head and proceeded down the stairs, like he had been holding out on climbing down those last few stairs until his demands had been met.

2. When Ben doesn't know the answer to something, he gives this serious look, shrugs his shoulders, and puts his arms up and out. Something about a 17 month old doing this just cracks me up.

3. When you ask Ben what my name is, he says "Mine!" He knows I'm mama, but apparently my name is "mine."