Happy Halloween! Happy Birthday! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! What else have we missed since last I posted any updates about our little Benjamin? I'm not going to make excuses. I just didn't feel like writing. I didn't feel like digging through all of the pictures and files in order to post an updated blog. I didn't feel like sitting at the computer during nap time - I'd much rather nap. So, no promises for better blogging, no promises for more pictures - just enjoy what you get!!
I stole the title for this posting from a phrase my dear friend Irene always uses. She will say "That purse is just too many things..." - meaning that purse with the fabulous beading, the stylish fabric and the great price is something she must have in her collection. Or she will say "That production is just too many things..." - meaning the awful choreography, combined with the terrible costumes and the ear-splitting music made this show a big mess. When Irene says it, it could go either way - a compliment or a call to action to do better. What better way to describe our life with Benjamin these days?
He turned TWO! A great milestone, I must say. He walks and talks and talks and talks and talks. Actually, he runs and talks and talks. He is quite funny, making faces and singing songs and jumping around the house. He runs laps through the upstairs rooms when we are starting his bath as he plays naked baby, and he is always quite observant. "Mama - Benji's nipples!" He still naps well and goes to bed with no complaint, though he drags his feet a bit these days by asking for more books peas, I mean, please. And big news - Ben is leaning vegetarian. If we call anything chicken it will sit untouched on his tray. If we say pork, he eats it. Go figure. He picks up the pieces of steak and lines them up on the table, off of his tray and out of his way. I've tried calling the beef "pork" but he's on to me. He loves going to school three days a week. The art projects he has brought home show great promise (for someone who is blind) but I have dutifully displayed them on the kitchen cabinets for all to enjoy. He asks about Shabbat on Fridays and loves to talk about his classmates. I think his most favorite activity these days is nestling in for an afternoon showing of Curious George. He curls up with his snack and blanket and I have 25 minutes to do whatever I want. Boy, I love Curious George, too.
What has been most challenging these past few months has been understanding the presence and permanence of this person named Benjamin. It is one thing to have a baby in the household. They are heard and noticed, but then they are swaddled and tucked away, and life continues. By two, there is much to be heard and noticed. It is a constant barrage of sounds and commands and battles won and lost (mostly lost). There is this declaration from your kneecaps: "Hear ye! Hear ye! I am here to stay! And I need more milk NOW!" His personality, different than myself or Kevin's or anyone we know, is coming out and it is wonderful to see. He is making choices and learning about his world and using manners, too. He is such a darling, 99% of the time. It is that 1% that will kill you. I am certain there is a link between parenting a two-year-old and alcoholism....
The videos from this posting were chosen because they all represent milestones. The first one is of Benji learning that he can get us to copy him. I only captured a short bit of it but these antics went on for several minutes.
The next video is Ben playing with Uncle Jared and the mailbox. He has always loved this little toy. And he loves playing with Uncle Jared. He used to be very rigid about how things were to be done and used to get fussy when you did something in a way that he was not expecting. But here, he found his sense of humor and let Uncle Jared make things interesting. He is also showing off his new haircut and his very favorite choo choo pants.
The last video is Ben getting his first haircut. We knew it was time when 5 people in one day asked how old SHE was....his hair was a tangled mess and though it was cute, he was beginning to look like one of the village people. Our first haircut was successful. A few weeks later, he sat quietly with Kevin at the salon and watched as Papa got a haircut. He was a captive audience.
Enjoy these small snippets of life with Benji. I'm sorry it took so long to provide them to you. As you can see, life with Benjamin is just "too many things." I guess it always has been. And I suppose it always will be.
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