Benny. Oh that Benny. I can never get tired of looking at his cute little face. Or watching him toddle around. He is a full time walker now and he moves very quickly. I move him from trouble in one area and before I know it he is behind me making more. He reaches up high to feel around for things on the kitchen table. He grabs across the ends of the couch to the side tables for drinks, remotes, phones, magazines or whatever is there. He climbs like Nathan always has. Over pillows, under toys, through the legs of the tables and chairs. He discovered he can move things! He will climb up under the legs of the bar stools in the kitchen and move them around. He pushed a chair across the kitchen floor just because he can. And he does it all with a big proud grin.
He makes sounds. The latest is "weee". Actually is just sounds like "we" but he seems to do it in appropriate places like going down the slide or climbing down the bed. He will play with a truck or plane and move it around appropriately making noises along with it. Given a paper towel, he will "wipe" the floor with it. Push a broom across the room. Put the tops on containers. Blocks back in the box.
He is very excited to do the things Nathan does too. He eats like a big boy, often using a fork or spoon or at least trying to. Drinking from big boy cups. Last night he got his own "go-gurt" (frozen yogurt you eat like an icee) and he was so proud to walk around sucking on that thing like his big brother.
Benny has been a good sleeper and will more and more take longer naps. Not everyday but there are some good nap days and they are great! We love a happy Benny after a nap!
Nathan continues to run circles around us all. Literally. The kid doesn't sit still. But he does have his wonderful moments too of course. Even though he is already the big boy, he wants to do everything as an even bigger boy would. Helping put away dishes, and bringing the step stool to the counter to "help cook" (which Benny happily climbs up right after him!). He helps to pat Benny's back when going to sleep. He will whisper like we do, "go to sleep, it's ok, put your head down sweetie."
He proudly brings home masterpieces from school ("I made this for you Mommy!") and is slowly writing his letters. His drawings are becoming more recognizable and I can officially declare him a lefty like his Mommy.
The things he says are what cracks us up daily. He yelled out to Gigi and Grandpa one day, "Ok, bye, take care!" (What little kid says take care?), and then followed it up with "I love you more than a garbage can!" Uh, ok. He attempts to use big words all the time still and says them over and over to make sure he's getting it right. "Did I say it right?" And his recall is still amazing. He was singing Ghostbusters the other day and Leo and I couldn't remember the last time we had played the song for him. Yet he knew the words from whenever that was.
Aside from the everyday growing, learning, changing and causing trouble at home, we have had a couple fun outings too. The circus was in town and it seems like every year I wanted to take Nathan, something else was going on (which sounds odd as he hasn't been on this earth for that many years but it seems like he has been!). I finally took him, just me and Nathan. I had to get him excited by watching You Tube videos of it first and then he seemed to "get it." He liked the animals and the motorcycles that ride round and round in the "ball of steel!" It was a fun time for just the two of us even if he did get antsy towards the end. The following week Leo took Nathan to a hockey game at the same arena. They were last minute free tickets and even though it was Valentines Day I told them to go. I ended up having some time to myself anyway after Benny went to sleep so it was a win-win for everyone. It sounded like they both had fun and once he warmed up to what was going on, he won the fellow game-goers over with his "Let's go Canes" chant. Anywhere he can stand up on the chairs and yell at the top of his lungs ranks high up on the list of cool stuff to do.Which reminds me; according to Nathan, Daddy is more fun than Mommy. But he loves Mommy the most. I guess I can settle for that.
