Stripey Boy

Benjamin got a new long sleeve stripey polo shirt the other day, and he was so cute and grown up in it that I had to take some pictures. The progression from happy boy playing with his dad to desparate need to escape and claim the camera for his own is pretty funny.

My Indian name would be Chief Crazy Hair...

Benjamin's hair is so great, I am very jealous. It is super soft and shiny, for one thing. But also, you can do all kinds of crazy sticky upy things to it. Some it does on its own, but in these lovely snaps we have post bath hair, that was encouraged to do a little rock star do. And this doesn't even require any product! I am so tempted to break out the gel.

The cat door

The other day, Benito discovered the cat door. He has recently been very interested in opening and shutting doors and cupboards, and this one was very intriguing. Not only is it just the right size for him, this is the only one that swings from the top and not the side. Very mysterious. He played with it for quite a while, and then the next day, he remembered it was there, and leaned over to check it out for a minute. But then he was over it, and hadsn't looked at it again since. Fickle baby.

Hooray for Peter Pumpkin Head

The title here is not related to anything except the fact that there is a pumpkin in the photo, and this song has been in my head, what with all the pumpkings being around and things. Anyway, Benjamin went on his very first field trip on Friday, with Annie's preschool class, to Remlinger Farms. Apparently the roller coaster was very scary (as a spectator sport only), but the pumpkin picking was very satisfactory. Clever Aunty Cookie helped him choose an excellent pumpkin, with a very long stem. Much easier to hold onto than just a regular old pumpkin. He thinks the pumpkin is great, and has been playing with it quite a bit. I was a little worried about him impaling himself on it and losing an eye at one point, but he narrowly missed the stem part, and has had no close calls since. Benjamin played at Grandma Pat's house on Wednesday, and came home with a this very cool Green Eggs & Ham shirt, which he has been wearing pretty much continuously since then.

Rock Star in Training

Benjamin's musical training is ongoing, with emphasis in guitar, drums and piano. He dabbles in base, keyboard and maraca. This latest guitar lesson he added waving to his adoring fans to his repetoire. They (I) were (was) appropriately impressed and swoony. He is also trying out the whole performing shirtless thing, to see how that goes. So far he pulls it off pretty well.

This last weekend, Benjamin apparently decided that he was too big to be a baby any longer, and instead he would be an obstinate and obstreporous toddler. This involved taking many more steps in a row, sometimes un-coached, and being increasingly fussier and more demanding. I tried to tell him that his birthday was not for another month, and he needed to calm down and revert to nice babyness, but alas, it was to no avail. He has been such a good natured little guy that it was a little bit of a shock to the system. He spent a lot of the weekend saying "EH! EH!" loudly, which roughly translates into "We are not doing what I want to do. Stop what you are doing this instant and do what I want to do." Lots more grumpy faces than usual. The increase in mobility is pretty fun to watch though. He has been cruising on the dog, which she is very tolerant of, and pushing his little scooter toy thing around. He also used the laundry basket as a push cart, which was fun for him until it hit the dresser and stopped, and then it was very disagreeable

Mama's boy

Even though I am clearly not going to be the fun parent, I'm starting to feel like maybe this kid likes me. For the first 3 months or so, it was very much like a junior high crush relationship. I was clearly head over heels for him, and he had a vague idea that I existed, some of the time. Now, his face lights up when I come home, and sometimes he even hugs me without being forced into it. Its very gratifying.

BAMZILLA!

Loren and Benjamin had a great time this weekend playing with the lincoln logs and Thomas the train set. Well, Benjamin had a great time. Loren was a wee bit frustrated I think. His efforts to complete a log house or train track set up were repeatedly thwarted, by Bamzilla the destroyer. He is more in demo mode than construction mode these days. Also, his pictures are getting increasingly blurry as he moves faster and faster all the time. And as his motion becomes perpetual as well. Soon the only time I will be able to take an in focus photo of him is while he sleeps.

BAM and the washer

One of Benjamin's new interests is the washer. I'm sure he would be interested in the dryer too, if he were only taller. He likes to stand there and peer into it, even if there is no laundry going. And he also enjoys slapping the little glass window with his hand. Funny kid. There is no guessing what will entertain him.

More Shed Progress

I am way behind here, but I will do my best to play catch up. Last weekend Pat and Lee came over and helped out with the shed, and great progress was made. Benjamin was very anxious to help, especially in the area of hammering and ladder climbing. So anxious to help that if he was not helping, he was difficult and cranky.