Crib concerts part 2

This morning Ben woke us up by singing at the top of his lungs, though thankfully he quieted down after a while so we could get more sleep. He is also continuing his nighttime singing.

Ben was quiet for 10 minutes after being put in bed, and then we hear:
"Hi Penguin [his stuffed animal], how are you? How are you, Penguin? I'm taking my nap. I close my eyes."
--30 seconds later--
"Leave me alone, Penguin! Leave me alone!"

---5 minutes of quiet ---
"B-I-N-G-O! There was a had a dog and Bingo was his name-o, And on this farm there was a ...cow ...he says moo..."
"And on this farm he had a...A-B-C-D-EFG..Now I know my ABCs, HIJKLMNOP."

And now he's mixing "Do Re Mi" with the ABCs in a very loud voice. A few minutes later it was this version of "Happy Birthday" to his teacher Vivian and various family members. Dave caught the audio, though there's no picture as the room was dark.

 
Swimming class went fairly well today. We got there early and took gradually longer walks down the pool ramp before class started. Ben clung to us and said "I don't want to be in the water" several times, but the teacher kept him well-distracted with toys and games.  The promise of a post-class jellybean also helped. We'll be going for 5 more weeks.

Ben's crib concerts

Lately, Ben has been dozing off (or at least quiet) for 20-30 minutes after we put him to bed. Then we'll suddenly hear him talking or singing to himself. Sometimes he goes on for 15 minutes, sometimes it's 30+ before he suddenly goes quiet again. Tonight's concert has thus far included multiple repetitions of "This Old Man" (he did sing both 2 & 3, but still skips over "paddywhack" and slurs some of the rest so it sounds like "with a mick mack wiffleball a bone") and "Old MacDonald."

The other morning he'd woken up an hour earlier than usual and woke us up by singing loudly. He went through "76 Trombones" and a variety of other favorites. While I was ironing my work clothes, I also heard him say "Rock chalk, Jayhawk...is that right? Rock chalk, Jayhawk..." Dave sang that to him earlier in the week when he was wearing his KU Jayhawk shirt to daycare.

Tomorrow we have our first parent & child swim class at the YMCA. It's a 6-session class for kids 6 mos-3 yrs. We've been showing Ben some videos of kids swimming to get him used to the idea of a pool. Hopefully after the initial adjustment he will love it!

Summer Fun

After having seen several children in her neighborhood enjoying this outdoor toy, Cousin Ruth in Houston sent one for Ben:


It's a beach ball sprinkler, and with the summer settling in, it's been a great way to beat the heat! Ben was a bit unsure of what to make of it at first...


... but he quickly got the hang of it.


It wasn't long before he was dashing in and out of the water, splashing Mommy and Daddy (and getting splashed in return), and generally acting like a nut. He didn't stop giggling the whole time. Thanks, Cousin Ruth!

Blast off!

Ben got out his space shuttle playset this morning and it reminded me that the final NASA shuttle launch was today. Luckily, we were just in time to see it. Ben got a little antsy with the countdown but was captivated by the launch itself.

After the launch, he decided to cram himself into a tiny space between the fireplace and a toy bin to call Uncle Tony with a morning report. He loves those Mr. Potato Head glasses and never seems to notice that they're so small they leave little marks on his cheeks!