Lots of photos...

During Papa's visit, he and Daddy did quite a bit of sailing, leaving Ben and Mommy to fend for ourselves. We spent lots of time at the park and hanging out. Here are a few pictures...




Ben very much enjoys spaghetti dinner...


Last weekend, after Papa left, we took Ben to the boat for the day. We're hoping he'll grow up comfortable with the water and sailing. So far so good! He had a blast playing and "hupping" (helping) aboard...

Papa Comes to Visit!

Last night Papa (Frank) arrived for a visit. We're so sad that CeCe couldn't come too, but we've already had her with us... this is video of Ben reading "CeCe's Book," a recordable story that has her voice! Needless to say, he LOVES it...

Here's Ben reading the book on his own...

A Funny Story...

Today I took Ben with me to pick up a tree I found on Freecycle. I love Freecycle and have found some wonderful plants and trees for my little garden. This morning I went to pick up a small, unidentified tree from a woman on the other side of town. I told Ben we were going to get a tree! He seemed very excited. When we arrived, he jumped out of the car and ran to where the woman had the tree in a wheelbarrow... I said, "Look, Ben, a tree!" At which point he dissolved into tears, crying "Treat, I want a treat!" It was kind of sad. And cute.

When I told Jonathan about it he said that this was a story he hopes we'll remember years from now. So I'm writing it down here.

Later in the day, Emma came to play and she and Ben had a great time dressing up in hats and scarves...






In other news... Ben has figured out how to ride tricycles!

Benisms...

I wanted to write down the funny things Ben says, primarily so that I have a record of them myself. But it occurred to me that some of you might be amused as well, so here goes!

Random Benisms:
*nannies = bananas
*supie coo-ah = super cool
*Star Hoes (formerly Stah Whores) = Star Wars
*Dahth Vadah = Darth Vader (yes... he's watching Star Wars, and yes he seems to have a Boston accent!)
*Eeiss = Ellie (my friend's daughter)
*Eeott = Elliot (our friend across the street)
*ah-some = awesome
*boo dozer = bulldozer
*finging = swinging
*fimming = swimming

Ben seems to have a strange obsession with benches. A few weekends ago I took him swimming at the gym. On the way in, he tripped and fell on the sidewalk and skinned his knee. Since then, he proudly states, "I fall off bench. I got owie."

Here are a few shots from this morning... playing with trains and trying to get a decent photo with Mommy.

Missing Daddy!

Jonathan is with his class at science camp for the week, so it's just Mommy and Ben for a few days! So far so good, though it's been a long day (Ben is in daycare MWF, but not on Tuesdays)... So today we were awake at 4:45am and at the park by 7:30am!

Ben had fun playing in the sandbox...


He loves the airplane in the sand...


After naptime (for both of us) we went to the Co-Op for some groceries and a snack. Ben LOVES veggie sushi. Here he is chowing down on a carrot roll!


We're hoping to go visit Daddy on Thursday at camp and check out the area. There's snow up there, which will be a blast for Ben. More soon...

Potty Training Has Begun!

We are starting down the long winding road called POTTY TRAINING! Ben has been very prompt about telling us that he is pooping, and we've seen him hold in his pee (while running away naked as we try to get a diaper on him!)... so we think it's time.

Today I bought 14 pairs of underpants and some stickers that may be used for rewards, though I'm still hoping it might not come to that. (I had a hilarious conversation with Amy today who had promised Tommy a cupcake if he would poop in the potty... proof that we all get desperate!)

Here are a couple of photos I snapped with my phone, showing Ben in his Cookie Monster underpants! He wouldn't pose, so forgive the quality. Stay tuned for the madness that will no doubt ensue!

School Update

Ben has been in daycare--which we call "school"--for just over a month. The transition was much harder than we'd expected. For a kid who has had zero stranger anxiety, or fear of any sort that we could detect, Ben was pretty overwhelmed by the routine of being dropped off for 7 hours, 3 days per week. But we love his school and the teachers and families there--all of whom assured us that such transitions are normal--so we stuck it out.

And it has paid off!! For the last 2 weeks or so, Ben has done WONDERFULLY! He loves "the kids" as he calls them, and has a special affection for his teacher, Miss Pam. The school sends home daily reports (we can pick them up in batches periodically) tracking such wonders as diaper changes, eating and nap habits, and overall achievements. The first few of these were very uneventful, but we finally received the one we were waiting for!

Here is Ben's first really positive day! It's hard to read, but the first comment is "Much better day!" which made us so happy. The teachers included a photo of him doing an art project, and we've seen quite a bit of subsequent drawing and painting since this day...


A closeup of the photo... (Note that Blue Ted, Ben's teddy bear, is right next to him. Blue Ted accompanies Ben to school everyday, which I'm hoping will eventually stop.)

Here are the first 3 masterpieces that came home!