Ben finally started walking in January! We bought him a play kitchen, the kind that
you stand at, and two days later, he was walking. I am convinced that’s what finally got him
going. He had been walking while holding
our hands since the previous spring, but he had no interest in doing it on his
own. Maybe we were trying too hard,
because there was a period over late summer and early fall, where he refused to
walk at all. Of course, kids do
everything on their own time.
Ben’s favorite activities are (in no particular order) going
to the park, going to daycare, skyping with his grandparents and friends,
reading books, taking baths, taking stroller rides, riding his cars around our
apartment, and giving our cat a hug. He
is really into putting on his shoes lately, but unfortunately this sometimes
leads to a temper tantrum if he then wants to go outside but we say no. I think he must be tired of being in the
apartment so much over winter, because he really just loves going anywhere. Even when we took him to get a haircut one
day, which he hated, he still wanted to go out the next day. He is always excited to go to daycare in the
morning, not even wanting to take the time to kiss us goodbye (but he is just
as happy to see us at the end of the day).
Whenever we try to ask him about daycare, he just says the names of (I
suppose) his two best friends. Always
the same names, for the past month or two.
Giving Zeus a hug. Zeus is sometimes tolerant, but always gentle with Ben.Ben is learning to eat like a European, knife in right hand, fork in left.
And he dabs his mouth with a napkin.
And loves dessert.
Playing in the bidet. He climbed in all by himself while I was getting ready one day.
Shaving cream in the bathtub. He mostly just ate it, so this activity didn't last long.
Do-oo (as best as I can spell what he says). Looking for Zeus under the bed.
Ben got stuck, Austin Powers style.
Ciao, chi e? Talking on the baby monitor like a phone: hello, who is it?
Playing in the tunnel, also a favorite for Zeus.
Both cars at once.
We have an extra deadbolt down low, and Ben loves playing with the keys with it. I think it is another of his attempts to tell us he wants to go outside.
Walking like a silly.
Being silly.
Reading. Sometimes he goes through all of the books on that shelf.
Merry-go-round. Daddy was the one who had to get off first.
Baby Girl is growing and growing. And kicking, and hiccuping. We have started playing the body part
guessing game when we feel lumps moving across or poking out. We don’t have a name picked out yet, but we
have both been through our Italian Names book, and we have a short list.
We keep telling Ben there is a baby girl in there, and
sometimes he responds with “ciao baby” and a wave, or “cara baby” and a stroke
of my belly. (Hi baby or nice
baby.) We have no idea if he really
understands, but he seems to a little bit.
He knows what a baby is, and points them out all the time, but his term
“baby” applies up to about age 5, so he’s probably expecting a playmate his own
age.