Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Benjamin attended his very first MLB game on Thursday - Detroit Tigers vs. LA Angels. The Tigers won 12-0, so apparently Benjamin is a good omen. Kelly's entire department at work went and he took Benjamin along while I had a few hours to myself! Glorious! You can't tell by the picture, but Kelly says Benjamin had a great time. He even clapped when others around him were clapping. He's a sports fan already!

Benjamin has also become a music fan. He's figured out how to make all his musical toys play, so he can start them whenever he wants. Yesterday he had several out in front of him and was making them play simultaneously. Then he started to dance. Benjamin's dance consists of bouncing up and down while pointing both index fingers in the air and moving his arms up and down or out in front of him. It's hysterical. Whenever the music on one or more toys would stop, he'd reach down, start them up again, and then continue his dance. We couldn't be more proud of our up and coming DJ. He now dances to any music he hears - at church, during choir practice, any musical toy he owns, etc. He's so much fun to watch. If he'd ever continue doing it after I've started the video camera, I'd post a clip.

He's also adopted another adorable habit. Whenever he wants to read a book, he'll get one off the shelf, and then sit himself on the nearest available lap so that person will read to him. He first did it at the library, but since then he's done it at home to both me and Kelly. When he gets bored with the book, he'll get up, grab another, and come sit back down. He's got to be the cutest boy there ever was.

Like Father Like Son

In case there is any doubt that Benjamin is Kelly's son, this proves it. Benjamin managed to climb onto the back of the couch by himself today and proceeded to knock over or pull down all the books and pictures. So it begins.



Before I got too scared that he'd fall (he never did - just climbed down when he'd had enough) I decided to also get a quick video. By the way, the noise in the background, that catches Benjamin's attention, is a kid outside.

Hanging out

We've found that Benjamin really loves his backpack carrier, so why limit its use to hikes? We occasionally set it up and let him hang out it in while we're at home. He always stays in it happily much longer than in anything else.



Studies show that children are more likely to read on their own if the father (not the mother) reads to them, so I'm always happy when Benjamin and Kelly read together. Benjamin loves it too. His favorite books are "Der Pummilige Panda" and "I'm Reverent When..." I've also noticed large increases in his attention span. It's no longer just a page or two before he's done - he'll now stick around for an entire book. What a genius! :)




Other news: We bought a house! We're excited and terrified. It's a great house, though, and we're looking forward to having a yard and a basement for Benjamin to play in. It was only 2 weeks from the time I called the realtor to the time we signed the paperwork. I looked at about 1000 homes on line and about 40 in person and narrowed it down to two - my favorite and Kelly's favorite - and Kelly's won. So here we are. We close on June 22 and move in sometime before our current lease expires in July. All friends and relatives are invited to come see it in person. :)

Enjoying the Sunshine

Michigan in spring is so wonderful. It makes you almost forget the countless times you muttered, "I hate Michigan" all winter long. It's so wonderful that you actually think, "I could live here a long time" and you start looking for a house to buy. That's where we're at right now. House hunting. Fun and stressful. Which agent to use, which homes to see, which price range to work in, which features to require, which neighborhoods to include, and on and on and on. So far we've narrowed the search to two, and of course, my favorite house is not his, so what do you do? Luckily, Benjamin has been great through all of it. He happily gets taken out and put back into his car seat 10 times in 2 hours and never even complains. As long as we spend time at the playground when we can, he seems content. The best is when Kelly can come too.




In other Benji-news, he has two more teeth. His top eye-teeth (his fangs) came through yesterday. He didn't seem too bothered by them. He still slept through the night and didn't cry more than usual. I noticed he ate very little yesterday and the day before, but he always goes through eating cycles where he'll eat a ton as he's growing and then taper off for a while, so I really didn't think anything of it. It's exciting, though to see things changing again. He's growing so fast. He's getting into more and more things too. A couple days ago I heard him whimpering from the bedroom and came in to find he'd gotten under the disaster zone that is Kelly's desk and couldn't find the way back out.




Also, he has become very verbal. All day long he'll point at something and start babbling. At the DMV the other day he pointed directly at the man behind me in line and said what sounded like "cup." Cup! Cup! The man looked confused and said, "Sorry little guy, I don't have a cup." Yesterday Kelly tried to teach him the word "camera" and every time he said "camera", Benjamin would say, "doh." Camera. Doh. Camera. Doh. He said it like he was trying to teach Kelly the real word. He made the exact same sound each time, even again this morning as we tried again. Camera. Doh. So, apparently in Benji-speak, Camera is Doh. Good to know. He seems to really be starting to understand what we're saying. He helps put his toys back in their containers before bed - he'll actually pick them up one by one and place them back inside. He also seems to be catching onto the idea that when someone points at something, you don't look at their finger, but rather in the direction they're pointing. It's so cool.

Anyway, so despite home buying stress, we're doing well. By the next post we should have a place! Wow. Crazy.

What are you eating?!

10 months old now and just as orally fixated as ever. To Benjamin all the world's a buffet. At church he scaveges for pushpins, string, chalk, and tie clips, putting each one in his mouth to guage its flavor. At the park he samples rocks, grass, sand, discarded chapsticks, candy wrappers, and best of all...wait for it...bird poop. Just scraped it right off the bench and popped it in his mouth before I could even think about stopping him. The only solace I find is the fact that he seemed to dislike the bird poop and he didn't try it again. The rocks, however, are a repeated delight. Thank goodness the bumblebee had the ability to fly away or I would have had to add that to the list. At home it's every toy he owns, pens, toilet paper, books, decks of cards, my computer mouse, shoes, the doorstop, the string on the window blinds, etc. etc. etc. When does this stop?! No matter where I take him, I'm constantly having to grab things out of his mouth. At the library, they have shiny round covers (no idea what they're covering) in various places in the carpet. Since he can't pick those up, he just lays down and licks them. Eeewwww! What is to be done? Is this just a phase that will end? At least his immune system is getting a good workout.


Benjamin at the park (pre-bird poop consumption).




Happy Benajmin pic, just for fun.