Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Ben and Chubby
Ben loves our "gacks" (or "gats" or "cuts")--our cats. He is fascinated with both of them, though only Chubby will let Ben get close enough to play. I took these photos this morning... they pretty much speak for themselves!
Work and Play
We've hit a "bumpy patch" with Ben recently. He's become very fussy when he gets frustrated. Which is more often than it was a couple of weeks ago. I talked to a mom I met at a mom's group at our library--who has THREE boys, ages 5, 2, and 10 months!!!--and she says that this is fairly normal, if annoying. So we're weathering the storm, so to speak.
But the silver lining is watching Ben learn so quickly and try new things. He's also started doing "jobs," or repetitive tasks involving moving objects around in a very organized way. Jonathan has read about this as being a developmental stage that kids go through. Here are some photos of Ben "organizing" his crackers on the couch and the floor. He took them out of the box one at a time and put some on the couch and others on the floor. Though it was a small mess, it was actually pretty neat to watch him do it. He was very involved, and couldn't care less that we were right there watching (and giggling).
Here his is at the end of his "job":
And the results of his hard work:
Here's a cute shot of Ben eating lunch wearing his "monkey toes" (slippers) that he's about to outgrow:
But the silver lining is watching Ben learn so quickly and try new things. He's also started doing "jobs," or repetitive tasks involving moving objects around in a very organized way. Jonathan has read about this as being a developmental stage that kids go through. Here are some photos of Ben "organizing" his crackers on the couch and the floor. He took them out of the box one at a time and put some on the couch and others on the floor. Though it was a small mess, it was actually pretty neat to watch him do it. He was very involved, and couldn't care less that we were right there watching (and giggling).
Here his is at the end of his "job":
And the results of his hard work:
Here's a cute shot of Ben eating lunch wearing his "monkey toes" (slippers) that he's about to outgrow:
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Guess what time it is?
No... not time for a haircut. Though we're fast approaching THAT milestone! I'm happy to announce that IT'S POTTY TIME!!! Ben has been pretty fascinated with the bathroom and toilet lately, so I figured it was time to get him his own potty. I'm not expecting to start real potty training right away, but I figure it can't hurt to get him more and more interested in what it's for! And so far, it's a hit!! He loves lifting and shutting the lid, and even though he can't quite sit on it himself yet, once you put him on the seat, he doesn't want to get off! So here's hoping we might get this kid out of diapers sooner rather than later!! (Hey, a mom can dream, right?)
The neighbor behind us has 2 kids who have recently become more and more interested in Ben. The other day, Jonathan captured them talking to Ben over the fence. It was really cute!
Finally, I rented some Baby Sign (sign language) DVDs from the library. Ben is so fascinated by them! We put them on quite a few times a day. While I'm certainly happy to have him watching something educational, I can't say that having him completely enthralled doesn't make it much easier to get things done around the house!! Here he is this morning watching the DVD about animals.
The neighbor behind us has 2 kids who have recently become more and more interested in Ben. The other day, Jonathan captured them talking to Ben over the fence. It was really cute!
Finally, I rented some Baby Sign (sign language) DVDs from the library. Ben is so fascinated by them! We put them on quite a few times a day. While I'm certainly happy to have him watching something educational, I can't say that having him completely enthralled doesn't make it much easier to get things done around the house!! Here he is this morning watching the DVD about animals.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Our Big Boy!
Ben is growing and changing so fast these days. It seems like he's getting bigger by the minute! Here's a look at what's been going on in Ben Land:
First off, Ben is finally big enough to really ride in the bike trailer we have for him. We'd taken him around the neighborhood before, but this weekend, we rode 2 miles into town and back. Ben LOVED it! He giggled and pointed at all of the "gucks" (trucks) that we passed on the way! These photos are actually from the day before... I towed him behind my bike when we went downtown. But we can switch him back and forth between our bikes, which makes it fun.
Ben continues his training in the janitorial arts. He is obsessed with the brooms, dustpans, and vacuum in the house! I figure in a couple of years, we can put him to work around here!!
I love this photo. Ben was kind of tired and carried his alligator near the t.v. (where Nemo was on for the millionth time). He plopped down, put his feet up on the recliner and ate his carrot while watching! So cute...
And of course, books! Ben wrangled Daddy into a short story-time session at 7am before Jonathan had to leave for work. The kid loves his dad!!
First off, Ben is finally big enough to really ride in the bike trailer we have for him. We'd taken him around the neighborhood before, but this weekend, we rode 2 miles into town and back. Ben LOVED it! He giggled and pointed at all of the "gucks" (trucks) that we passed on the way! These photos are actually from the day before... I towed him behind my bike when we went downtown. But we can switch him back and forth between our bikes, which makes it fun.
Ben continues his training in the janitorial arts. He is obsessed with the brooms, dustpans, and vacuum in the house! I figure in a couple of years, we can put him to work around here!!
I love this photo. Ben was kind of tired and carried his alligator near the t.v. (where Nemo was on for the millionth time). He plopped down, put his feet up on the recliner and ate his carrot while watching! So cute...
And of course, books! Ben wrangled Daddy into a short story-time session at 7am before Jonathan had to leave for work. The kid loves his dad!!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
An Uneventful Update
Things have been pretty quiet around here since New Year's... I haven't been taking as many photos as usual, and I've let my video camera go dead. I have to get back into the swing of things! The best I can do, as far as new photos goes, is this collection of recent pictures of Ben playing in the house on a rainy day. You can see how much he loves to read. He's pretty hilarious when he leans into a book and looks *really closely* at the pictures! He also loves the broom Grammy and Grandpa bought while visiting over the holidays. Enjoy!
Finally, here are two photos that didn't come out very well... I used my timer to try to get a shot of Ben dancing while I "played" the recorder. He will periodically bring the recorder to me and *insist* on me playing for him. Of course, he doesn't seem to care that I can't really play at all! He dances and dances, laughing the whole time. It's really cute!
Finally, here are two photos that didn't come out very well... I used my timer to try to get a shot of Ben dancing while I "played" the recorder. He will periodically bring the recorder to me and *insist* on me playing for him. Of course, he doesn't seem to care that I can't really play at all! He dances and dances, laughing the whole time. It's really cute!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Trucks, Turkeys, and a Tricycle...
It's been a long time since I've posted. I will write a longer post about the Feagle's visit--a great week after Christmas!--once I get my photos organized. In the meantime, here are some photos from recent (and random) events from the Land of Ben! Speaking of which, we've added a new play mat to Ben's toy area in the family room. It's pretty cute (thanks, Ikea!)...
Now for the news. First off, trucks. Ben's love of trucks (still called "gucks") is as strong as ever. I love this hat that we received as a hand-me-down from Scott, Paige, and Miles, but I'm sad to report that it's already too small. But I managed to snap a photo with it perched on his head... which frankly seems to make him look like an authentic trucker!
There is a band of wild turkeys that roams our neighborhood (hey, it's Davis!) which always seems to draw a crowd when it arrives. A few days ago, the turkeys hung out in our backyard for about 30 minutes. It really is pretty cool to get to see them just walking and flying around. Here's a sense of what it's like.
Finally, we've had some FANTASTIC weather here... today was 76, sunny and breezy. Atypical January weather even for northern California. While he napped this afternoon, I got Ben's tricycle (a gift from Grammy and Grandpa) out of the garage and ready for some action. When we first built it, the trike was a bit too big, but as you can see it's now perfect! Daddy arrived home just as we were walking down the block, so we all went to the park (about 1/4 mile away) together. Ben LOVED the tricycle and rode it the whole way to and from the park.
Now for the news. First off, trucks. Ben's love of trucks (still called "gucks") is as strong as ever. I love this hat that we received as a hand-me-down from Scott, Paige, and Miles, but I'm sad to report that it's already too small. But I managed to snap a photo with it perched on his head... which frankly seems to make him look like an authentic trucker!
There is a band of wild turkeys that roams our neighborhood (hey, it's Davis!) which always seems to draw a crowd when it arrives. A few days ago, the turkeys hung out in our backyard for about 30 minutes. It really is pretty cool to get to see them just walking and flying around. Here's a sense of what it's like.
Finally, we've had some FANTASTIC weather here... today was 76, sunny and breezy. Atypical January weather even for northern California. While he napped this afternoon, I got Ben's tricycle (a gift from Grammy and Grandpa) out of the garage and ready for some action. When we first built it, the trike was a bit too big, but as you can see it's now perfect! Daddy arrived home just as we were walking down the block, so we all went to the park (about 1/4 mile away) together. Ben LOVED the tricycle and rode it the whole way to and from the park.
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