Jack

Ben played with this Jack-in-the-Box all day, after borrowing it from his friend Ezra. Thanks, friend!

18 Months Old

It seems like Ben has developed in huge leaps over the last few months. He can understand pretty much anything we say to him. He is very good about following directions ("Ben, put the raisins back in the pantry and close the door. Ben, put your binky away and we'll go downstairs."). He loves to play find-the-stuffed-animal, hear the ABC song, count his fingers, do hand motions to songs, give us five, talk jibberish on the phone, and dance in circles. When he toots in the bath, he covers his mouth and gasps (I taught him that the other night). He gets really dramatic while giving and receiving tickles. He laughs hard at monkey sounds. He refuses to speak words but uses sign language. He spends hours looking at books.


Ben enjoys the nursery full of toys at church but really gets excited when it's time to take communion: He squirms out of Ickie's arms and nearly pushes people out of the way to get up to the rail, climb on the kneeling pad, and open his mouth for a piece of bread. He's just such a well-natured kid! Do you think he'll always be so?

Behold, The Funniest Mommy in the World!

Apple slice mandibles = hilarious.

Belated Christmas Photos

Here are some of my favorite photos of Ben (and us) that Ben's Paw Paw took during the holidays.

Showing off a new sweater from Aunt KK:


Enjoying blueberries and pancakes:


Sitting in Great Grandaddy's lap at the farm:


Discovering weird stuff in our stockings on Christmas Eve:

Dietary Allowances

I'm told there's a time in just about every toddler's life when his food pyramid goes from looking like this:


...to looking like this:
How many parents have been wracked with guilt due to that cursed pyramid? (Thanks a bunch, USDA.) Ben's pediatrician told me not to worry about it, so I guess I can put all those months of toiling over homemade vegetable baby food cubes behind me. Ben will put anything in his mouth, but these days it is often politely but firmly spit out and handed back to me (rejected food has no place on Ben's tray; it must instead be banished to Mommy's hand). We do not try to cram healthy food into other people's mouths at our house (we've tried to with poor results).

As I've mentioned before, Ickie spent the large part of 28 years eating only brown things, and my diet has always included a range of nature's colorful bounty, which just goes to show you that genetics beats vegetables every time (Ickie is 6'2" and I am 5'3" with two pale, wimpy arms nicknamed "cream and sugar"). Besides, every now and then the boy surprises me by scarfing down a bunch of healthy stuff.

Day at the Museum

Grandma and Grandpa gave Ben a membership to the Children's Museum for Christmas, so that's where we went this afternoon. We spent the whole time in the toddler park. Ben's favorite thing was an air tunnel over which you can float beach balls. He'd grab and hug the ball, only to have the air blow hard on his face, which really cracked him up.














He also spent some quality time this morning playing with his lawnmower and riding his bouncy turtle from Ya Ya and Paw Paw.














He even shared his giraffe with Greta.

Good to be Home

We had basically problem-free travel for Christmas this year (provided my omnipresent back pain is discounted). We're very thankful for not experiencing any breakdowns, traffic jams, nasty weather, flight delays, or illnesses. Ben slept well in four different homes, became proficient at walking, and gave out many, many hugs. Uncle Scott was his favorite hug recipient, and I'm told he is currently experiencing hug withdrawal. Ickie and I feasted on rich food, jogged on ice-free roads, met up with old friends, and enjoyed all the babysitting help. Whenever Ben's grandparents and Aunt Jackamo email me some photos from our visits, I'll post them. Until then, here are a few photos of Ben enjoying being back home with his daddy and learning to play Wii baseball.

FYI, I discovered the following things on our travels, which other parents might find helpful: 1. starfall.com is great for fussy tots (Thanks, Ya Ya!), 2. Starbucks will refill your child's sippy cup with milk or juice for free, and 3. Air Tran will move you to an earlier connection without charging extra.