Book Learnin'

I can't even describe how busy we've been over the past month. Ben has moved beyond the complacent, play independently and sleep early stage into the needing attention every waking hour or else I have a meltdown stage.

He is absolutely loving first word books. So far, he recognizes and says ball, dog, tree, kitty, and onion. I think onion is the funniest. We don't even eat onions all that much, but I think he likes the way the word sounds. When he says it, it's more like "nun-nun," and it always cracks me up.

Walking!

We all knew it would happen eventually - Ben is walking! I'm about ready to put his helmet back on until he masters a little more control (kidding). I'm sure in another couple of weeks it will be all I have to keep up with him. 

Along with walking, toddler behavior has also started appearing on occasion. We have had more than one instance of lying down, feet pounding, wails in reaction to a frustrating situation or not getting something he wanted. And so it begins...

Three Weeks Later

Wow! How this spring is getting away from me! I can't believe it's been three weeks since my last post. Ben has been non-stop motion that entire time. He now has a couple of new molars, which caused some sleep issues lately. I had a sinus infection and have been out of commission with severe spring allergies, and Josh has been traveling all over the state in an effort to push for smoke free legislation with his American Cancer Society position. Between all of that, I feel as if I haven't sat down in weeks.

We've been watering our seeds, but have not seen much activity yet. We may have been better off buying grow lights. Hopefully we will have a greenhouse next spring and not monopolize the dining room table / sliding glass door as our makeshift seed starting center. 

I am into the last five weeks of the school year and can't believe it's almost over. This has been the most incredible school year yet, and I have learned so much this year too. Today one of my students placed fifth in the regional math contest and 11 of my 13 students placed in the regional writing contest. Next week is the state-wide math competition. Although I'm not very competitive, and our school is not very competition focused, our students consistently rank high among area schools. With the contest experience from this year, I can't wait to see how we do next year.

Hello?

Another video blog day. I've had a terrible time with allergies, which has now progressed into a sinus infection. I have had little energy left for creativity, projects, or much else.

Ben, on the other hand, is all energy all the time. When not playing piano, he picks up nearby objects and pretends to be on the phone. Occasionally, he's actually using a play phone.

Playing Piano

All of the children in my family, and both Josh and his sister took piano lessons as children. We all five took lessons from the same woman, in fact. For my college graduation gift, my grandfather gave me a piano that he carefully cleaned, re-felted, and tuned after purchasing it from an SBU auction. Piano playing is one of Ben's favorite pastimes. It will be before I know it, when he is old enough to start lessons. I think we will choose a different instructor, though.

Eight More Weeks

Monday we had our follow up appointment with Dr. Sami. He and his staff are so impressed with how well Ben is doing and how much rounder his head is looking these days. Sami recommended Ben wear his helmet another eight weeks before being checked again. Eight more stinky, sweaty weeks.

Ben also had his H1N1 booster shot and he weighed over 18 lbs. I am glad he is getting so much bigger, and it seems like he's really growing all of a sudden. We have boxed up the last of the 3-6 clothes and I pulled out the twelve month shirts from the back of the closet. He's still not quite tall enough for the twelve month pants, but he is getting closer.