Fashion tip of the day from Captain Adorable: Tupperware can also double as a stylish hat.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Our little bookworm
Ben loves to read and has a nice collection of books. We also go to the library about once a week and try to find good books among their sad board book collection which seems to have an inordinate amount of Christmas and Hannukah books. Thankfully, we can request books from other branches if the local branch's collection is slim. I thought I'd share just a few of Ben's favorite books.
Older books
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. I also have this in Spanish for work and it's simple enough for me to read to Ben too.
Dr. Seuss' ABCs.
We read this aloud when I was pregnant with Ben and it still calms him when he hears it now.
I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom & Richard Scarry. My mom says this was her favorite book to read to Tony & me, and Dave and I love reading it to Ben. Simple, flowing text and typically great Richard Scarry illustrations that follow Nicholas the Bunny through the different seasons.
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins
We are on our second copy of this one (thanks, Uncle Tony!) because the first one got so loved/chewed up! Fun rhyming text.
Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury. Ben likes the action words and sometimes chimes in on the repeated "uh-oh!"
I See, also illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. A very simple book, this entertained Ben through many diaper changes when he was 6-12 mos. Ben loved saying "baby!" and pointing to the different objects introduced. We also borrowed I Hear, in the same series, from the library. Another delightful book by Oxenbury and Mem Fox is Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes.
Newer Books
Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino. Memorizing this book and being able to recite it to Ben while driving has staved off many a road trip meltdown! It is now one of my favorite children's books; nice but not overly-cutesy drawings and clever rhyming text.
That's Not My Dinosaur! by Fiona Watt and other That's Not My _____ books. We have a great video of Aunt Mary reading this to Ben on our trip to South Carolina last fall.
Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. We had to take this out of Ben's bedtime book choices because he wanted it read over and over again. He melted down one night because we wouldn't read it a sixth time. Now it's a daytime book. He will also sit and flip through the pages by himself for several minutes at a time. Simple text but detailed illustrations that encourage the reader or child to add their own observations and details.
There are so many more he likes, but those are some of his top choices to read repeatedly. What are your favorite books for young children?
Older books
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. I also have this in Spanish for work and it's simple enough for me to read to Ben too.
Dr. Seuss' ABCs.
We read this aloud when I was pregnant with Ben and it still calms him when he hears it now.
I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom & Richard Scarry. My mom says this was her favorite book to read to Tony & me, and Dave and I love reading it to Ben. Simple, flowing text and typically great Richard Scarry illustrations that follow Nicholas the Bunny through the different seasons.
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins
We are on our second copy of this one (thanks, Uncle Tony!) because the first one got so loved/chewed up! Fun rhyming text.
Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury. Ben likes the action words and sometimes chimes in on the repeated "uh-oh!"
I See, also illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. A very simple book, this entertained Ben through many diaper changes when he was 6-12 mos. Ben loved saying "baby!" and pointing to the different objects introduced. We also borrowed I Hear, in the same series, from the library. Another delightful book by Oxenbury and Mem Fox is Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes.
Newer Books
Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino. Memorizing this book and being able to recite it to Ben while driving has staved off many a road trip meltdown! It is now one of my favorite children's books; nice but not overly-cutesy drawings and clever rhyming text.
That's Not My Dinosaur! by Fiona Watt and other That's Not My _____ books. We have a great video of Aunt Mary reading this to Ben on our trip to South Carolina last fall.
Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. We had to take this out of Ben's bedtime book choices because he wanted it read over and over again. He melted down one night because we wouldn't read it a sixth time. Now it's a daytime book. He will also sit and flip through the pages by himself for several minutes at a time. Simple text but detailed illustrations that encourage the reader or child to add their own observations and details.
There are so many more he likes, but those are some of his top choices to read repeatedly. What are your favorite books for young children?
Dancing boy
We spent the late morning outdoors at Ben's friend Ava's birthday party. Ben LOVED the bubble machine and stayed by it for almost the first hour. He got a little more adventurous later, but still chose the bubbles over the pool or sand areas. We came home after lunch and Ben and I both took naps. He woke up from his nap in a goofy, cheery mood. He was chatting and giggling like crazy most of the evening!
Here is a short video from after dinner when he was dancing to his Leapfrog fridge letter set (a fabulous $5 find at a consignment sale which has led to hours of entertainment for Ben!). Ben has been dancing a lot more the past few weeks. He had a highchair reggae dance party at TGI Friday's and boogied to the jazz music at the seafood restaurant in Michigan with Uncle Tony cheering him on.
Here is a short video from after dinner when he was dancing to his Leapfrog fridge letter set (a fabulous $5 find at a consignment sale which has led to hours of entertainment for Ben!). Ben has been dancing a lot more the past few weeks. He had a highchair reggae dance party at TGI Friday's and boogied to the jazz music at the seafood restaurant in Michigan with Uncle Tony cheering him on.
Friday, July 9, 2010
18-month checkup
Ben had his 18-month checkup today with his fantastic doctor. He is staying on the same growth curve; doc says his height & weight are proportional. His adult height estimate is still 6'2". He got 3 vaccinations but is now done until his pre-kindergarten shots at age 4 or 5. He cried when the injections went in but quieted immediately when I picked him up afterward and happily tromped out of the exam room and tried to invade the nurses' work area a few minutes later!
His current stats are:
Height: 34.25" (90-95th %ile)
Weight: 29 lb 12 oz (90th %ile)
Head circumference: 49.1 cm (80-85th %ile). Ben was surprisingly cooperative when the nurse put the measuring tape around his melon!
So he is a pretty big guy, and the doc said he looks like a two-year-old. It is nice that he's walking now, because it was getting tiring carrying him everywhere! He loves sitting in his plastic booster seat and coloring on the tray, but we feel kind of bad because his poor chubby legs get squished when the tray is snapped on. It's just not made for chunky babies! But Ben doesn't seem to mind and keeps asking us to "peesh" put the tray on for him.
Ben's language development is going really well. He says about 35 words or approximations consistently, uses about 6 signs and understands a few more that we do like "mommy" and "daddy" but doesn't actually use them himself. He loves to chatter and talk and has really been imitating and trying new words like crazy over the past few weeks. It is a really neat stage!
We just returned from a great trip to Ohio & Michigan so we will upload some photos from that soon.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Walking!
Ben is slowly figuring out that walking can get him around just as well or better than crawling. His daycare teachers have really been working with him on it and we have at home as well. He has been taking more and more steps and we finally got it on video!
(Note: Ben is wearing the kids' version of the great shirts Kelly got for everyone at the ranch for Memorial Day!)
Monday, May 24, 2010
A few photos
Here are some pictures of Ben from the last few weeks. He has been chatting up a storm!
He is still working on walking, but now will stand on the stairs and use the banister (with supervision!) to walk up or down the stairs. Unless he decides it's time for a quick belly slide down the stairs, just for fun! (Or to run away from Mommy who is trying to get him to bed!) He has also discovered that if he stands on the 3rd step, he can reach the light switches and spend minutes flipping them on & off!
"Bath" is now one of Ben's favorite signs. It may look like he's trying to sing opera in the photo below, but I think he's just signing "bath." We have to be careful not to use the word around him unless it's bath time because he gets very disappointed! He really loves splashing and playing with his bath toys. We've started saying "bye bye" to the water as we drain the bath to work on transitions, but it is still a challenge to get him out of the tub & dried off without a major protest.
Ben's stuffed animals regularly get hugs & kisses & occasional nibbles. He adores his teddy & puppy but also is the third generation to cuddle with Georgie, below. In the mornings he will often point to the stuffed animals next to his bookcase and ask to "peash" have them in his crib until he ends up with a whole pile. Even his beloved animals aren't immune from his new game of holding something up high and dropping it with enthusiastic force! Here are some photos of his gentler moments.
He is still working on walking, but now will stand on the stairs and use the banister (with supervision!) to walk up or down the stairs. Unless he decides it's time for a quick belly slide down the stairs, just for fun! (Or to run away from Mommy who is trying to get him to bed!) He has also discovered that if he stands on the 3rd step, he can reach the light switches and spend minutes flipping them on & off!
"Bath" is now one of Ben's favorite signs. It may look like he's trying to sing opera in the photo below, but I think he's just signing "bath." We have to be careful not to use the word around him unless it's bath time because he gets very disappointed! He really loves splashing and playing with his bath toys. We've started saying "bye bye" to the water as we drain the bath to work on transitions, but it is still a challenge to get him out of the tub & dried off without a major protest.
Ben's stuffed animals regularly get hugs & kisses & occasional nibbles. He adores his teddy & puppy but also is the third generation to cuddle with Georgie, below. In the mornings he will often point to the stuffed animals next to his bookcase and ask to "peash" have them in his crib until he ends up with a whole pile. Even his beloved animals aren't immune from his new game of holding something up high and dropping it with enthusiastic force! Here are some photos of his gentler moments.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Happy day
There was nothing particularly noteworthy about today, but it was just a really happy day for Ben. He was smiling & laughing so much! We gave him blackberries for the first time and he scarfed them down. He decided he doesn't like raw red peppers as much as he likes the cooked ones he had the other day with his fajitas. He LOVES his baths and signed "bath" hopefully several times this morning before his bath, which was needed as he got soy butter in his hair again. We didn't bathe him again tonight after he rubbed hummus on his face during dinner. Thankfully, a washcloth sufficed for that. Ben did love the hummus, though!
Full-out walking is still a work in progress, but Ben is taking several sets of a few steps at a time. He slides down stairs backwards on his belly for the sheer joy of it. We had a video chat with Grammie & Grandpa this morning and he waved, smiled & played peek-a-boo. He flirted with a nice lady at a neighboring booth at Red Robin. We sang "Baa Baa Black Sheep" about 5x because Ben requests it over and over by saying "baa!" and signing "music." He's getting a little better in climbing into a lap to read a story, but if he can't exactly get the movements, he'll settle for just tackling you. He really is just such a joy!
Full-out walking is still a work in progress, but Ben is taking several sets of a few steps at a time. He slides down stairs backwards on his belly for the sheer joy of it. We had a video chat with Grammie & Grandpa this morning and he waved, smiled & played peek-a-boo. He flirted with a nice lady at a neighboring booth at Red Robin. We sang "Baa Baa Black Sheep" about 5x because Ben requests it over and over by saying "baa!" and signing "music." He's getting a little better in climbing into a lap to read a story, but if he can't exactly get the movements, he'll settle for just tackling you. He really is just such a joy!
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