An Update: 3 Years, 9 Months

 

I'm finding that since Ben was born, the time seems to go by faster and faster with each year. 2015 - almost 1/2 way over?  No way.  Nearing 4 years old?  Not even remotely possible.

Since the last update (5 months ago), Ben has grown up so much.  He has gained at least 2 pounds and probably over an inch in height.  He TOWERS over all of the kids in his class.  He is still in 4T but I will not be buying anymore 4T clothing for him - he will be on to the next size before much longer!

I would have to say that the biggest milestone that he has hit since our last update is that he is FULLY (okay, except for the fact that he wears pullups at night) POTTY TRAINEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!  Just like with speech, and every single other thing I've been told "he will do when he is ready" this came FAR too easy....once he felt like doing it.  Unlike the other "baby" things he used to do, changing diapers is something I am quite ready to be done with :)  We are so proud of our big boy!

His speech (words, pronunciation) grows and develops daily.  I'm mentally exhausted at the end of the day from all of the questions, comments, random thoughts, songs, and counting coming out of his mouth.  It's SO awesome though - and so hilarious what we hear come out of his mouth.  Greg and I REALLY have to watch what we say now.  He is constantly repeating things and phrases we say to him and to each other.  

He offers me choices all day long (because I do that with him):

"Mom, do you want to play trucks with me?  Or do you want to play Play-Doh"?

He threatens me:

"If you do that again, you won't get a surprise, OKAYYYYY"?

He makes sure I know the rules:

"Mom, we don't hit in the family.  Do we?  Do I hit kids?  No, I don't hit kids".

Questions.  Repetitive questions.  And occasionally referring to himself in the third person:

"Mom, is this a tow truck?  (Yes).  Is it a tow truck?  (Yes).  Is it?  (Yes).  Is it Ben's tow truck?  (Yes)".

And luckily, manners:

"Thank you for my kiss, mom!  Can I have a hug, too?  Can I have a yogurt please"?

It's so fun, but I would be lying if I said we didn't wish there was a pause button occasionally ;) 

Dreaming, feelings, memories:

The other night, Ben woke up crying in the middle of the night and was nearly SCREAMING for me.  We brought him into our bed, where when he calmed down, he told me there were spiders in his bed.  His first bad dream?!?  Greg told me that he had (has?) reoccurring dreams about spider attacks - so strange! 

In general, I have noticed a LOT more acknowledgement of feelings from him across the board.  He tells me that he is "upset" when something happens he doesn't like.  He tells me when he is having fun.  He told me that a kid at school was being loud and "roaring like a dinosaur" and it scared him and he didn't like it.  (Cute).  I explained that the kid was just pretending and having fun playing, but Ben insisted that it was "not okay".

His long-term memory is impressing me lately.  I sometimes wonder if all of the photos and videos we take (and that he watches sometimes) is a factor in this.  I'm sure it is.  He likes to recall memories of things we did that he enjoyed and tell me all it - from a few days earlier, or from several months earlier.  This morning he told me about how we went to get ice-cream with Callie, Mira, and Maylee and then proceeded to tell me what kind everyone got :)

Favorites:

Movies: His current favorite movies to watch are Kung Fu Panta, Wall-E, and Horton Hears a Who.  We also took him to his first movie in the theater - Inside Out (which may officially be my favorite Pixar movie ever).  It was SO much fun!  He did so great sitting and watching (popcorn and soda helped...) and only had to get up and go potty 3 times ;)  But it's fun - feels like a whole new world of activities that we can do with him is starting to open up.

Activities: Helping me!!  He has gone from being a royal pain at the grocery store to wanting to push the cart, help me put everything into the cart, taking everything out at check out, and then when we get home he will carry every light bag (except the one with eggs) into the house!  He also will get his own yogurt out of the fridge, put his pull-up in the garbage in the morning, get dressed (most of the time), go potty (on his own, but so much less hesitation when I request him to go now than he used to), vacuum, use Windex to spray down the table outside and any window I will allow him to, and put his laundry into the basket.  It's so much fun and I love letting him help.

Parenting has been extra fun this year and has taught us a lot of lessons about patience, being clear and choosing our battles.  I am constantly reminding myself what it must be like to be 3.  Every time I find myself annoyed about something or needing a break, I try to remember that one day he will not be interested in playing with me anymore and I need to soak up every opportunity that he wants to engage.

3 years, 4 months

I have been slacking on Ben updates since he turned 3!  I want to capture everything that is going on with him lately before I blink and he turns 4.  

In terms of growth, Ben is approximately 36 pounds and 40 inches tall - but I have absolutely no idea where that falls in the percentiles.  And really, who cares at this point ;)  All I am interested in is that he is getting tall enough to take him back to Disneyland where he can join us on more of the rides (although knowing Ben, he will be too scared of most of them - my noise-sensitive little boy).  He is almost completely in 4T now and wearing size 9 or so in shoes.  I need to take him in to get his feet measured soon because I need to get him another pair of outdoor boots for school - they go exploring through the muddy woods every day and he needs a good pair of "outside" boots.

A year ago, I was so so anxious about his language development and I couldn't possibly envision the conversations he and I are having now.  He now uses words like "delicious" and "actually" and tells me when he is happy and sad.  Last night when Greg was outside putting the cover back on the BBQ, Ben opened up the patio door and yelled out "Hey Dada!  I can't come outside with you, because I don't have shoes on.  And you need to have shoes on when you go outside.  So, I'm just going to stay inside and play trucks, OKAY"??  (Greg was like, "I didn't invite you to come outside, but OKAY")!!  Ben is CONSTANTLY singing songs.  When we try to sing along with him, he will often say "No, it's MY TURN" and silence us.  Ha!  He loves to sing this song from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, which is one of the songs Greg used to sing to him a lot when he was a baby.  He also tells and me and Greg several times a day "I love you!" which is one of those moments you are waiting for when you become a parent, and is even more heart warming than you can imagine.

Ben still is truck obsessed and lovvvvves to ask us to play trucks with him.  Of of his favorite truck activities is to have them "talk" to one another, which essentially is him shaking one truck at the other and saying "Well hello green monster truck, how are you doing? Do you want to go on a drive with me?" with the other responding "Yes, I do want to go on a drive with you".  Then, they drive.  Then, one falls down and yells "I'm stuck! Can you help me" and the other pushes it back up on its wheels and they they give each other a kiss.  And repeat.  It's adorable and hilarious.

We still enjoy park time, and while I'm usually a big fan of a lingering winter season, these days I'm all about a sunny dry day so that we can hit the park.  Ben absolutely loves it, but only when there are other kids around to chase.  If there is a blonde girl, approximately 2-4 years older, that is the best as he is a big fan of playing with Mira and Maylee lookalikes ;)  When we went to the park the other day, he was on the swing next to a little girl and suddenly looked over at her and screamed "HEY!  I'M SWINGING WITH YOU"!!!!!  #chillbro

He has developed a fake laugh, which is so funny until it's annoying.  If Greg and I are laughing about something, he will always join in even if he has no clue what it's about.  He will always join Greg in a kitty smother and sing the little song that Greg has been singing for years "Oh, my kitty kitty! Oh, my kitty kitty".  (It's not as corny as it sounds.  Maybe I shouldn't have written that, haha)!  Ben is great at saying thank you without prompting and says please most of the time without a reminder.  He is great at throwing garbage away and is starting to get better at picking up his toys.  Ben is getting better at drawing actual objects, like circles for wheels when he tells me he is drawing a car, but still mostly prefers big scribble patterns. 

In terms of parenting, we have been trying to practice a LOT of positive reinforcement when he does something like clean up toys, brush his teeth, wash his hands, and other helpful things - and redirecting him to other activities instead of scolding (for lack of a better word) when he is behaving in a way we don't enjoy.  We are deep in the phase where if you tell them NOT to do something, it's almost impossible for him to avoid doing it - which I totally get is a 3-year-old trait that can be turned around almost instantly if you handle it correctly.  It's not always easy to remain calm and patient, but it's definitely the way to a positive outcome.

Another big update would include potty training, which is still moving VERY slowly, but definitely in a positive direction.  He is fantastic when we are out in public or at school, but has a hard time stopping what he is doing to initiate it at home.  It's really only when it's inconvenient for us (grocery shopping with a full cart, or in the process of reading bed time stories in an attempt to stay awake longer) that he is super motivated to go :)  But either way, lately we are getting through most mornings with a dry pull up, switching to a diaper at nap time, and then the evenings can really go either way.  As with the speech progress, I have to remind myself that all kids are different and that with time and practice, we WILL get there!

The other big change is that school officially starts next week!  He will be at school all day (8-4 ish) on Mondays and Fridays, and then some Thursday mornings.  Since he has had a few mornings of practice, I'm most interested to see how he handles nap time.  I bought him a cute sleeping bag for him to leave at school that he already loves to snuggle in, so I'm hoping that after a busy morning of playing he will feel ready to lie down for awhile.  He still takes 3 hour naps at home so I know he will needs a midday break.  I'm also a little worried about him eating at school, since I know the food will be a change from what he is used to.  I keep having to remind myself that these changes are GOOD for him (playmates, a structured day, learning to work with others, sharing, new/healthy foods) but I also know how difficult it will be if/when he says "I don't want to go to school"!  I know that when he has not been with me, Callie and my mom have provided him with such a safe, nurturing,  and often times one-on-one environment that this might feel like a tough change at times - but I'm confident that he will thrive here and learn so much!

Current favorites:

Books: Touch the Art: Find King Henry's Jewels, Planes Go (and all of the "Go" books), The Day the Crayons Quit, The Cat at Night, and Flo & Wendell Explore. (These generally change every month or so, when he selects a different set of 4-5 books that we read almost daily).

TV/Movies: Current favorites are Monsters ("big kid monsters") and Monsters University ("little kid monsters").  He got some Monsters figurines for Christmas and likes to act out little scenes with them - much like he does with his trucks.  We are also watching a lot of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, which is cute and teaches some good lessons, I think.  (We also sing lots of Daniel Tiger songs all day, every day).

Places to go: The park, the "indoor playground" (at the Pavilion where Callie often takes him), and the Children's Museum. 

Overall, I have to say that life feels pretty amazing these days.  Greg and I have been getting out for dinner/movie dates at least once a month, which has been so nice (thanks, mom)!  If we need to skip a nap for whatever reason, it isn't resulting in the complete mid-evening meltdown that it used to.  I am fresh off a weekend away in Leavenworth for a bachelorette party, and Greg is heading to Portland for a guy's weekend next month - so we are able to find some time for ourselves a lot more than we had been. Ben being the age that he is feels like the perfect mixture between having a big boy that I don't have to constantly follow around to make sure he isn't going to fall or crash into something, and having a baby that still lovvvvvvves to snuggle his Mama - a trait that I hope continues into his adulthood ;)

3 Years Old

My little big 3-year-old.  

How I wish I could pause our lives right now and continue to soak up every ounce of Ben's sweetness.  One of my biggest fears becoming a parent was that I would end up with a bratty, rude child.  I'm not sure why I was so worried - I think Greg and I are generally pretty nice - but so far, Ben's sweet and polite disposition, his passion for dancing and tickles, and his contagious giggles have proven that I had no reason to worry.  

Our day to day routine is full of moments where I absolutely DIE inside over how much love I feel for this kid.  In the mornings after he wakes up, he will typically walk over to his table to sit down and play with a toy.  He will let me know when he is ready to come out by getting back on his bed and talking straight into the camera and saying "I'm all done going night night - I had a nice nap"!  A few weeks ago, I had noticed he had gotten out of bed but then never let me know it was time to come get him.  I went into his room and he was under the table in the complete darkness and all he said was "peak-a-boo, mama".  Followed by "I want some chocolate milk, please".  

After he finishes his milk it's IMMEDIATELY time to "play Thomas", which is still what he says in reference to the front room/train table/all his trucks.  Monster trucks have totally taken over our house right now and he can entertain himself playing forEVER, (as long as he knows I'm watching him from wherever I happen to be).

One of his favorite activities is to take a morning walk (or drive) to the park to see if any other kids are around to play with/chase.  He absolutely loves any little kid who will chase him or be chased by him.  He engages them by running past them, stopping, looking back with an encouraging smile and then cracks up once the game of chase begins once more.  I love how friendly he is and how quick he is to say "I want SOME MORE".

Once back home, he is a champ at helping me with certain chores.  He is eager to please and loves to be praised for: helping collect the garbage, spraying the Windex when we are cleaning the windows, and wiping various things (he will tell me "Mama, I need to get some of my wipes, please").  He also loves to wash his hands (which is nice, considering potty training MUST happen soon).  

At night time, it is generally fairly easy to get him to bed, as long as he gets to pick a few books out to read.  Recently, we rediscovered "I'll Love You Forever" and Ben wants to read it almost nightly.  He will say some of the words along with me and it takes ALL THAT I HAVE not to break down every time I read it.  Once we are done with books, and Ben starts to catch on that I'm about to turn off the light, he will say "I want some mama", and needs me to snuggle with him for awhile.  And this part is so funny to me: We ALWAYS lay on our right sides, I am (obviously) always the big spoon, and it has been like this pretty much every night since he was born.  

I will often lay with him for a few minutes until I think he is starting to fade, but as soon as I start to back away to sneak out, I'll hear the littlest voice again.  

"I want some mama".

I love his crazy, BLONDE (with a gangsta cowlick) hair.  I love his beautiful, against his genetic odds, blue eyes.  I love how when he sees a picture of a unicorn, he calls it a "popcorn". I love his goofy facial expressions - particularly his furrowed brow.  I love how he tilts his head to the side, makes a "that was so nice of you!!" face, when he says, "thank you"! I love how he asks me "Hey Mama, whatcha doin'" 1,549 times a day - and when he KNOWS exactly what I'm doing, he will tack it on in front of a comment - i.e. "Hey Mama, whatcha doin' you're makin' the bed"!

Ben, in a nutshell

A few other updates:

We had our LAST speech therapy session.  We were both so sad that we would no longer be seeing Katie every couple weeks, but at the same time, feeling so confident in Ben and the massive progress he has made over the past year.  On our last visit, she told me how blown away she was with his speech lately, and even commented that he is conjugating verbs like a champ for his age!  I hadn't even noticed, as I obviously have no idea when that is supposed to happen, but she was right - he does (sometimes)!  She also said that it feels so great to know that he essentially "graduated" the program - in that he isn't continuing on with additional therapy after finishing with her.  

I'll be taking Ben in next week for his 3 year check up and I'm curious to see how he is measuring up in height and weight.  My assumption is still tall and still "medium" in his weight.  His 3T jammies are much too tight, and he is starting to transition into 4T clothing.  It just dawned on me that he will likely be getting shots - which he hasn't had since he was 2!!  Knowing how much more aware he is, I'm curious/nervous to see how that goes.

I (WE) love him more than words.  I worry that I love him TOO much at times, but that is impossible.  The good news is that I think the feeling is mutual :) Ben's frequent, unprompted hugs make me melt inside and I dread the day his bumps and bruises are no longer magically healed by my kisses.

34 Months Old

34 months.  2 years and 10 months.  2 5/6 years old.

I remember when Ben was not even 1 yet, I would think back to the prior year and reminisce about how "last summer, I was X months pregnant", or "this time last [fill in the blank holiday], I was only X months pregnant", etc.

Now when I do that, it was 3 years ago - and it kind of freaks me out!  It's now been soooooooo long since I was pregnant with him, and almost 2 years since I last nursed him - but it continues to feel like both of these were very recent events.  I suppose this is the exact reason why time flies so quickly once you become a parent.

If I talk obsess with you on a regular basis, then you already know about how back and forth we have been about whether or not to have another baby.  I'm not sure about how other people feel when making this decision, but for me, a huge part of it is the inability to come to terms that Ben is no longer a baby himself!  This, in addition to our original plan of only having 1 kid, (plus finances, lifestyle, visions for the future) has us leaning heavily this way these days - however, I will admit - watching so many people around us having (or soon to be having) their second child and witnessing that whole adorable family of four thing has had me wavering a bit from time to time.  

The good news is that I loved being an only child, and have TRULY treated each of Ben's milestones with the thought that this would be the last time I experienced each of them.  (Which could explain why I have not been in much of a rush to move him into the next stage along the way).

But whether I am pushing him or not, he is doing it all on his own:

Ben now speaks in full sentences that I would say are understood by others about 80% of the time.  In fact, we had our "exit testing" in speech therapy last week, and our little dude essentially aced (as in, was perfectly on track with his peers) each area of testing.  In fact, the area he tested highest in?  COMMUNICATION.  (!?!?!) 

It has cracked us up to hear him tell us exactly what he is thinking:

In the morning when he wakes up, I hear him over the monitor:  Mama, I'm all done going night night.  Mama, I want milk, mama.  I want mama/dada's bed.  Mama, I want lunch.  Go to the park!  Run, jump, play, dance.  I want my trucks.  THOMAS!

When he is playing with his cars: Drive cars, mama.  Crash!!!  Time to wash the cars.  (He carries them to the bathroom).  Wash in sink.  Car wash - I cry.  (He remembers - quite vividly - how much he hated the car wash last time we went, which was months ago).

I've also caught him saying "One second!!" lately, which clearly is what I must be saying to him about a hundred times a day!

Loves: Trucks, trains, trips to Costco, tickles, jumping on the bed/couch/ground, being chased, hide and seek, taking all of the pillows off the couch and making a big pile to jump in/on, helping me take the garbage out, playing in the sink, going to the park with Greg, Monsters (movie), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (movie), music: the "Happy" Song, Scream and Shout (Britney), "Boom Boom Song" (Black Eyed Peas), pointing out every letter, number and color we see, alerting me to each motorcycle he hears/truck he sees, watching videos on YouTube (which he pronounces "Videots", going on walks around the neighborhood, picking out his clothes ("Ben gets to pick!!!"), singing "Twinkle Twinkle", Mira and Maylee (and Callie, too!), Fridays with Grandma, Grandma's iPad, the "blankie Grandma make" (the closest thing he has to a "lovie"), kisses and hugs.

Sleep lately has been good most of the time.  It has become clear that the whole "you will eat what I make for dinner" plan I was aiming for is not working well to our benefit when it comes to sleep.  If he doesn't have a big meal or a hearty snack at night, he will often wake up at 4 am asking for milk or "lunch".  We are working on it.  I would say that 5 out of 7 nights a week, he goes down to sleep happily and we don't hear from him until the morning - but those other 2 nights can result in him needing to come back into our bed to snuggle until he is almost asleep (and sometimes letting him sleep with us for a few hours), or will require us to get him a snack or some milk.  He also still naps an average of 2.5 hours a day (sometimes longer!) so perhaps that needs to be shortened to help him go down at night better....

....but I'm certain all of this will change because his BIG BOY BED arrives on Tuesday.  Hell shall break loose.  Stay tuned.

Ben is wearing 3T clothing for the most part (plus a few favorite 2T pants and T shirts that I try to squeeze him into and some 4T jammies that we got handed down from Laryd).  I got him some size 8 tennis shoes and sandals a few months back that should last him awhile.

As far as potty training goes, we are not rushing it at all.  We read books and watch videos about the potty and allow him to decide when he wants to try it (which is usually only before bed and is used as a tactic to stay up later) ;)  He has pooped on the potty exactly twice.  I bought him some pull ups for when we are around the house, but he FREAKED out when I put them on them and requested a diaper immediately.  A selfish part of me really hopes that we can wait until AFTER our trip to Mexico for him to be fully out of diapers, because it's going to really suck to have to put down our margaritas and rush him to the bathroom every 10 minutes - but it's all up to him! ;)

I would say the biggest thing I have realized over the past few months of parenting is how much I need to let go of my own selfish desires to have a child who always listens to what I say, cleans up after himself constantly and is always quiet when I want him to be.  :)  We are raising a little PERSON, who has his own feelings, thoughts, ideas of what he wants to do, and different ways to learn.  I am starting to understand more and more that my job as his mom is more about keeping him safe, letting him explore, letting him be loud/emotional/willful, and guiding him with good morals and boundaries.  

A few weeks ago at the beach, Ben was running around and I noticed myself trying to keep him away from a water fountain (that was getting him wet) and coaxing him to walk the direction I wanted, and to hold my hand (when it really wasn't necessary).  I'm sure with my words I was telling him to "listen to mama", to the point where when he nearly ran out into the parking lot away from me and I yelled at him to STOP!!!, it probably didn't sound drastically different from the way I had been acting all morning.  I truly want him to know the difference when something could be dangerous, so I'm making an effort to not coach him through all of the other moments just because it might make my life easier.

Anyway, being a mom is the best thing I've ever done and while the growing pains can be a challenge, I'm more than up for it.  Anything to give Ben the best little life I can :)    

31 Months

31 months.  Closer to 3-years-old than 2.  Another month where I can safely say "THIS is my favorite age"!  Ben's personality, his vocabulary, and his fine & gross motor skills are exploding right now.  He can still be moody, insistent about wanting his way, and difficult in some settings, but I feel like the majority of the time he is joyful, silly, and content with the way things are at any given time.

If Ben could have his way, he would spend ALL DAY outside.  With the weather starting to improve, this has meant that we are taking daily trips to the park.  (It helps that we have about 5 park options within a 2 mile radius of our house)!  My ONLY exercise these days is walking our "loop" (a little over 3 miles) and stopping at the park to play for awhile.  Watching him able to do different things (climb up and across things unassisted) and then celebrate happily "I DID IT!!!  Myself! " and give me a high five make me so happy and proud.

  

Aside from frequent park visits, Ben loves being outside with Greg.  Greg recently got a new golf club (birthday present from me) so he and Ben "practiced" in the back yard.  

They will often go for walks (short ones where Ben walks), play in the sand table, and dig in the dirt of our flower beds.

This past weekend, we walked up to the track at the middle school with the intention of running.  I lasted exactly 1 lap, so I took Ben out of the stroller and we ran together to catch up with Greg.  I was impressed how much Ben was able to run without tiring out!

When it comes to food, I'm not sure how good of a job I am doing getting him to eat a larger variety.  He certainly doesn't eat most of what we eat, although I'm getting better about always offering him what we are having while also putting something I know he will like/eat on his plate.  The things he LOVES right now are strawberries, grapes, granola bars, Morning Star nuggets, breakfast burritos (the ONLY way he will eat eggs), cheese and crackers, almonds (we get the sour cream and onion almonds from Naturebox and he is obsessed with them), tomato soup & grilled cheese, and the organic baby purees that I have resorted back to since it seems to be the only way he will eat a vegetable.

Ben is wearing 100% 3T clothing and even then some brands seem to be not big enough to accommodate his considerable height!  I'm so curious what his "stats" are.  I almost wish that we had a doctor's appointment to check between 2 and 3 years old.

Another fun thing we are noticing more and more is Ben telling us stories about things that have happened.  One morning, I was driving over to Callie's house and he kept leaning his head way back in his seat and pointing up towards the roof of the car.  He still mumbles quite a bit when getting a complicated thought into words, but it sounded a lot like "kitty...car...up....nap...dada's car..." but made a lot less sense than that.  After repeating the same thing over and over and OVER it finally clicked: He was telling me about the time TWO WEEKS EARLIER when we saw Maxwell jump up on top of Greg's car and curl up and take a nap.  When I repeated it back to him, he was so relieved I understood and said "YEAH"!  LOL.

Speaking of the kitty, he loves to put him (and other things/people/himself) down for naps.  Here he is putting the "blankie that grandma make" on him.  Maxwell hates life.

He also has started repeating passages of books back to us and it's just about the cutest thing ever.  I put the book My Truck is Stuck in his Easter basket and we probably read it 5 days a day (at least).  He will go around the house saying "Help! Please, help! Truck Stuck" which happens several times throughout the book.  Adorable.

Also, Ben is reading.  Okay, no - he isn't...but he is constantly pointing out letters and numbers and I'm amazed how much he has learned!  He loves when we get out a piece of paper and he can dictate what letters I write.  I've noticed he often starts in this order: B R Y R P  It must be code for something ;)  I think he is learning a lot from SuperWHY!, which is good because I also kind of like watching this show.

On the subject of books, Ben FINALLY is interested in sitting down and reading with me.  I truly thought the day would never come, as it was something I had looked forward to for SO long and just didn't seem to ever happen, but it's one of our favorite activities these days.

Finally, he LOVES going over to Callie's to play with Mira (Mina) and Maylee (Maynee).  He loves it so much that he practically pushes me out the door when I'm dropping him off (but not until after a sweet hug and a kiss).

I stole these from Callie :)

Spending time with Ben is seriously such a joy.  He is at an age where I feel like we can go out and do fun things much easier than we previously could.  He is our little buddy and is just happy to be included (most of the time).  Ben, you make us fall in love with you over and over again every single day.  Keep being awesome.  

27 Months

27 months is SO fun.  I'm noticing a positive trend on the last few updates, so I'm concluding that so far, 2 years old is significantly easier and more fun than 1- 1.5 years old was for us.  (Although, it's obviously not without it's challenges)!

Ben's personality continues to develop and I love watching his little mind working.  Questions are now often met with him thinking and then saying:

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, No mom".  Or "Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, uh huh mom"!

Another fun development has been being able to reason with him.  In months past, taking an item away from him or saying no to something would be met with him whining and melting down, but lately, I'm able to explain WHY we are or are not doing something and it's often enough for him.

Example - Ben not wanting to get out of the bath, (which normally would result in him crying and kicking to get back in).  Now, I will say, "Do you want to have some milk?  Because we can get out of the tub, into our jammies, and THEN have some milk - does that sound okay?"  And he will stop and say, "yes".

We have also been teaching him to use words for things (instead of crying, grunting, reaching for things out of his reach, being mad at us for doing something, and the occasional hitting, etc.).  Words like:

Sip
Stop
Jump
Dance
Dump
Thomas
Drive
Play with me (instead of being pissed when we are otherwise distracted)
Eat
Open
Close
Up
Down
Done
Juice (the other day he kept saying "door", until I realized he wanted me to open the door to the refrigerator and then said "juice")!
Nuts (when reaching for the almonds I have on my counter right now)

I realize that this is all just him developing his language and speech skills, but WOW is this working to our advantage and creating a happy child.  Hallelujah!

Ben's naptime is still typically about 3 hours in the middle of the day.  He also is back to being a dream at bedtime.  

While I don't have his current measurements, he IS starting to fit into some 3T clothing, which seems insane!  I suppose some brands (Gap) run a little smaller, particularly in their shirts, but it's kind of nice having him able to wear both 2T and 3T - especially when it feels like we go through 3 outfits a day due to peanut butter/nutella consumption.

His current likes - dancing, playing with my hair, (he will just comb his fingers through it for 20 minutes before bed), jumping games, running games, riding piggy back on dad, singing the (insert animal here) on the bus - he will request doggy, "neow" (kitty), "roar" (lion), "sss ssss" (snake), and duck), counting to 10, repeating the alphabet, playing with his train, throwing all of his trains and train tracks off of his train table and then picking them all back up, car rides, going on walks in the stroller, slides, cats, doggies, cookies, crackers, bath time, hugs and kisses, kissing his stuffed animals (and sometimes his trucks), Play-doh, coloring (scribbling), when someone drives up our driveway (he almost always yells "dada!!", and if it's not Greg he will yell "Ta-ma" (grandma), playing on the ipad, Despicable Me 2, Wreck it Ralph, puzzles, any and all trucks, watching truck videos, playing outside, and escalators.

I continue to feel so lucky for the amount of time I get to spend with Ben.  He is the sweetest and funniest little guy and I often still cannot believe that he is MINE :)

2 Years Old - An Update

I hadn't provided an actual update last week for Ben's birthday, so here is how our little guy is doing at 2 years old:

Weight: 29 lbs 6 oz - (68th percentile)

Height: 36.5 inches - (94th percentile)

Head Circumference: 19.5 inches (73rd percentile)

 

He did great at his last check up, for the most part.  The actual doctor visit was fantastic, but when we had to wait 10 minutes for the nurse to come back and give him his shot, he lost it.  He was putting his shoes on, trying to open the door and walk out, and when I wouldn't let him....well, this happened:

 

 

But back to the visit:  I had been nervous about what the doctor would say about him still drinking milk from a bottle, but she (happily) told me that it was totally fine.  (I'm pretty sure I'm not quite ready to part with them anyway, so what she said wouldn't have mattered much).  In fact, she referred to them as "cozy bottles" - warm milk, in the morning and at night, a comfort thing.  She also said that him having a binky when he is sleeping is fine.  Greg, on the other hand, is ready to see them go.  Blah.  I think we will have to tackle that issue this fall.

 

Another thing she suggested was for us to really encourage him to do things for himself, or to help us whenever possible.  Things like getting dressed, putting on shoes, brushing his teeth, opening the door, etc.  Life skills, y'all.

 

His doctor also was really happy with our attention to and his progress with speech development.  When I told her I think he is around 80 words (plus lots of babbling and sometimes, stuttering - his brain just moving too fast for his mouth to keep up) she said that was well into the normal range and totally normal to stutter.  A good sign, in fact.  And speaking of new words, here are a few we are hearing lately:

 

Thomas (as in, Thomas the Train - Phil (Callie's husband) taught him this one)!

Boom (Which he says every.single.time. he drops a toy on the ground, and now also when he throws his binky in his crib after I pick him up in the morning).

Mickey Mouse

Meow (When he sees the cat).

Pop

Dirt (sounds like "dit")

Oink

Pig

Down

Hot

Up

Boots
All gone/gone (Which he will announce each time he finishes his milk).
I saw a bus - This is my favorite one.  We were out on a walk and from a distance, saw a school bus stop and let all of the kids off after school.  He was pointing at it and frantically saying "bus!!!" as walked towards it.  The bus soon drove past us, but as we approached the corner where the bus had been, Ben pointed to the area and said "I saw a bus"! 

I think this will be the last I keep track of Ben's words, because they seem to be happening at a much more rapid rate these days (and thus cause for less celebration). Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE each time he says a new word, or says an old word more clearly (for example, baby used to sound like "ba-ba", until suddenly today, it was clear as day. "bay-bee").

I've said it before, but I really LOVE this age.  I love Ben's personality so, SO much and it thrills me to no end that I get to hang out with him every day.

 

In his new moustache shirt from Hil and John

 

 

Using his learning tower as a jungle gym.

With that said, he has learned some new tricks that make for some challenging moments.  Things like pushing the footstool all the way over to the counter to reach something we don't want him to have, or the stiff-body move he pulls when he doesn't want to get into the car seat or the bath tub (both of which suddenly seem to be activities he doesn't like to do).  Kids are freakishly strong. 

He also REALLY does not like when we take an item away from him that he wants.  He is obsessed with my EOS chap stick, and will open/apply/close/repeat about 200 times in a row.  And this activity is fine, until he starts to lick and/or bite it, which is when I take it away.  And he will lose it.  He has perfected his pouting moves over the past couple months.  He will either run straight to the couch and bury his face in a pillow, or he will sit down on the ground, gracefully ease himself back onto his elbows, and then put his head on the floor.  And cry.

The last thing I have noticed lately is just how grumpy he is after most of his naps.  He will call for me to go in to get him, but when I arrive, he will lie back down and refuse to be picked up.  Once I do snag him out of there, we will often have a conversation like this:

Me: Would you like some water?
Ben: Nooooooooooooooooooooo
Me: Are you hungry?
Ben: Nooooooooooooooooooooo
Me: Do you want to play with your train?
Ben: Nooooooooooooooooooooo
Me: Should we change your diaper?
Ben: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Me: Do you want to watch Mickey?
Ben: Noooooooooo.....ooooo....uh-HUH!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

But for the most part, we really do have a lot of fun.  When it's nice out (and sometimes even when it's raining) he will happily get into the stroller, armed with a cup of juice and some crackers, snugly with a blanket around him, while we go for a walk around the neighborhood.  On the days I am home, I try to break from work in the afternoon when the buses will be out and about.

 

And when I cannot break from work, the easiest and quietest way to distract him is to say, "Ben!  Do you want to watch the iPad in your tent for a little while???"  Read: please shut your yap and stop climbing on me for 5 minutes, mommy has a conference call.

And he will respond with an enthusiastic "UH HUH"!
 

 

22 Months Old

Ben is 22 months old.  Since I am writing this a little late, his birthday is NEXT MONTH, which came (almost) as shockingly fast as his first birthday did.

I feel like I can officially say that this is a REALLY fun age.  His second year of life has not nearly been as easy as things were for us when he wasn't mobile - however - seeing your child's personality develop is worth all of the chasing, wiping down, whining, wrangling and frustration that occurs with a toddler.  (And wine certainly helps, too).

Ben is every bit as funny, friendly, social, and loving as I had hoped my child would be.  Ben LOVES to laugh.  He will do anything to make us laugh and encourages us to do anything that will make him laugh.  Our days involve no fewer than 5 rounds of "Where's Ben?" with him either hiding his eyes with his hands, or him hiding in his closet and opening and closing the door.  He usually will initiate this game when we are sitting in the chair in his room.  After a round or two, I will sneak up so that I'm RIGHT outside the closet so that when he opens it, it scares him - which absolutely delights him.

He loves to be tickled, chased, and to "fly like airplanes" (arms out to the side).  He loves to be outside - playing with the hose, chasing Maxwell (while screaming the most high-pitched screech at him possible), playing in his water table, walking up and down the driveway (and around our neighborhood), and playing inside one of our cars.

If we would take Ben to a park every day (which lately, it feels like we are doing!) he would be in heaven.  He loves slides and swings.  There usually is a meltdown of some sort when it's "time to go bye bye". 

The other morning we met Becca and Owen for a walk around Greenlake and a trip to the park!

"Mommy's Little Angel" and Sweet Baby Owen

He still loves the Itsy Bitsy Spider, as well as The Wheels on the Bus, Humpty Dumpty (a game involving him sitting on my legs and falling) and Old McDonald - which we play with his barn/animal set.

I feel like Ben is getting better with his obsession with our phones and the iPad.  I mean, he still is obsessed with them, but will often hand them over to us much easier when we ask for them.  Lately, Ben will grab my phone, laugh at/show me the picture of him on my screen, put it up to his ear and say "Hi! Bye." and then give it to me.  Adorable.

When we are out at the grocery store, Ben seems to look for opportunities to wave at people.  He does this short, close to his body wave, almost as if he is not fully committing to waving at someone.  Like, if they wave back, then cool - but if they don't see him, then he won't feel stupid ;)  And he absolutely loves when we check out - screens and buttons and scanners, holla!

It's amazing how short a toddler's attention span is.  Here is a quick peek into my day.  We go from happy, to sad, to running around like a maniac over the course of 60 seconds.

My mom brought over a magnetic board and a bunch of magnetic letters and shapes for Ben.  The first thing he did when she gave him the container of letters was to put them all down his shirt - which he still does to this day every time we give them to him.

His next task is usually to dump them all over the floor, pull out his motorcycle, and run them over - over and over again.

Ben is OBSESSED with trucks of all kinds. One morning on an errand, we timed it perfectly and we were outside at the exact time the Garbage Truck was driving up the street. It stopped 15 feet away from us, picked up a garbage can, and dumped it into the back. Ben was mesmerized. Now, whenever he hears a truck of any kind he will run to the window or door (babbling like crazy) and point so that we can try to catch a glimpse!

Most of our evenings, as we are settling down for the night, involve an exchange with Siri like this:

 

Ben is growing like a weed, still.  He is 29+ lbs, in size 7 shoes, and fully in size 2T/24 months.  His understanding of everything is growing so quickly, too!  While verbally, (at least in English) our conversations are still a bit one-sided, Ben clearly understands most of what we say to him.  Simple questions are almost always answered with a nod or shake of the head (and sometimes also a "yeah!" or "NO MAAAAAAAAAAAAAA", too) - which makes our daily routines a LOT easier than before.  Physically, he is such a runner/climber/jumper that it amazes me that he isn't completely exhausted by 6pm, (because we definitely are).

Finally, we taught Ben how to "say" I love you - by pointing to his eye, his chest and then at someone else.  I seriously melt now when he will come up to me, out of the blue, make sure I am looking at him, and do this.  It's usually followed by a big hug - arms stretched out, clinging onto my shoulders, with his head leaned against me.  These are the moments that I would often think about when he was a newborn.  How someday, I hoped he would understand even a fraction of the amount of love I felt for him.  And I truly believe he does.