Love is in the Air!

It has been a busy month for us! Ben has had many new adventures. We started the month with a case of strep throat. Normally kids don't get this so little, but I guess it can happen. Ben was such a trooper. He ran some pretty high fevers and toughed it out (with a little help from some antibiotics). By the first weekend of February Ben was on the mend and we went to see Grandma and Grandpa in Lawrence. Ben had a great time with his grandparents and was especially intrigued by the bird feeder ("Bird, bird, bird? Please?").

The following weekend we participated in a walk to benefit MDA research with some friends from church. Ben got to see clowns and dogs and lots of kids. He enjoyed most everything, but was really not sure when a local sports team's mascot was trying to wave at him. Later this same day we got to go to a birthday party at Pump It Up (a place that has a bunch of inflatables for kids to bounce and play in). I thought Ben wasn't going to be able to do very much because he is so young, but he had a blast! We were able to get in with him and help him climb around and jump in the different areas. We all had a really good time and enjoyed celebrating our friend's second birthday! I have noticed that Ben is now more adventurous in his crib and tries to bounce around in it and I even caught him trying to reach his leg up over the side. Yikes!

Dad had to travel mid month and we hooked up web cameras (that we got for Christmas) on our computer at home and his laptop so that Ben could "see" Dad while he was away. I thought Ben would be excited, but never expected the reaction we got. He started belly laughing so hard that he laid back in my lap and just laughed and laughed. He LOVED seeing his dad and carried on and on. The first night we tried it, he even had a hard time getting to bed because he wanted to see Dad more on the computer.

When Dad returned we had a belated Valentine's Day together. Ben got lots of treats at school and we are still carrying Valentines all over the house. He learned a new word shortly after Valentine's Day (coincidence I am sure). We thought he was saying "happy", but it didn't quite sound like it. We finally asked his teacher at school and she let us know that Ben is saying "Aubrey", the name of one of the little girls in his class. He and another little boy walk around the room and say her name all day. He also picked up another fascination that week. Ben has always liked bubbles, but we got a bubble machine for the bath tub and the obsession grew. We quickly realized that bubbles could not be a part of our nightly bath routine, because the hour of crying and whining afterwards for "Bubbles!!!!" was just not much fun for anyone.

This month brought many other new words to our vocabulary. Some of the highlights were cracker, puzzle, turtle and shoes. Ben's play has developed as well. His attention span is getting longer and he loves selecting books to read and initiates picking them out and sitting in your lap so you can read to him. He is far more fascinated in the details of his toys and really enjoys acting out daily activities with them. He was "cooking" the other day and exclaimed "Mmm, mmm!" He is also fascinated with phones and will hold them up and say "Hello?" He then proceeds to have some conversation in mostly gibberish. Ben was screened recently at school for development and hearing. He has great hearing and is developing appropriately. We didn't have any concerns, but it is always nice to hear that.

Well, this is getting long. I guess we should do shorter updates more often, but it seems to be the monthly ones are easier to manage right now. Hope everyone is well!

Ben: Sixteen Months

Ben is 16 months now and has more personality by the day. His language seems to be in a phase of rapid development right now. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Brandon and I should be extremely flattered by Ben. If one of us coughs, Ben has to fake a cough. You name it he has copied it. He also tries to repeat a lot of words that we say. His attempts are growing in number as well as words that he says repeatedly and uses in context. We are big into animal noises and our range of animals is broadening. We think he says blue sometimes. It sounds like blue and seems to be only for blue things so time will tell if that is what he is really trying to say. Ben is the king of "please" when he wants something. Whether it be food or help with a toy, he is learning that saying please will just about melt Mom or Dad to do whatever he is asking.

Ben is getting more daring also. He climbs on his jungle gym in ways I never imagined. He is getting in the ball net and dancing around so pleased with himself. He also climbs down into parts of the gym that I didn't imagine would ever be used. I guess I was wrong. In addition to climbing on his toys a lot, Ben also learned how to climb into the dryer! Brandon was getting some clothes out of the dryer and Ben usually likes to push the button that makes the light go off and on. Well, this time, he decided to go in after the clothes (to help I am sure) and made it all the way inside. He then tried to stand up and move around, but wasn't so successful. He was just too big for that. At least he can't open the dryer door on his own yet. He also likes to climb onto chairs, the fireplace, pretty much anything he can hoist himself up onto. I am having flashbacks of his daredevil Uncle Jeff as a child and am wondering what exactly we are in for.

He has been very interested in baths and water lately. He has always liked them both, but is now asking for them. The other night he requested a bath unprompted for the first time. He signed bath and then ran into his bathroom and pointed at the faucet. Yea! He also likes to wash his bath toys and make sure that we get a little wet too.

Haircut

Ben's 15 month appointment went well. He is long and lean on the growth charts and doing well with his development. The weekend after his appointment we had a big first to commemorate! We went for the first haircut finally. Ben's hair wasn't really long, but it was getting shaggy in the back and he had long wispy pieces that had to be tucked behind his ears. We affectionately called it the "ear hair". The ear hair would sneak out during pictures and often cause problems when we were trying to get ready in the mornings. Well, it is no longer and Ben looks even more like a little boy! He did really well during the cut. He got to sit in a car and just sat very quietly and still. He did look concerned at some points, but he never cried. I posted more pictures on Snapfish.
Ben is getting into more and more and trying out his independence. He now enjoys standing up in the grocery cart, trying to start his own bath water and rearranging anything of ours within his reach.