I don't know where the time has gone. Sometimes I look at Ben and just can't believe that he's grown so quickly. He is hilarious and sweet - and so so big! Physically speaking, he's been in the same size clothes since 6 months old (THANKFULLY we've stopped growing so much), but he is so interested in the world around him. He "speaks," moves, and gets INTENSELY frustrated when he doesn't get what he wants. He loves his Mommy and Daddy, but he REALLY REALLY loves his sister. No one gets him to laugh quite like Kayleigh. Here's a few of his highlights over the past few months.
1. Benjamin LOVES Rafael (and all animals for that matter)
You wouldn't know it from this picture, but Benjamin and Rafael are buds. Rafa loves coming over to play with Ben. Ben loves grabbing any piece of Rafael that he can get. He'll pull whiskers, he'll grab a leg, even the face. Rafael, in return, will purr and purr as Ben pulls on him. He doesn't usually retaliate and when he does go for a quick scratch back, each time I pull him away from Benner, he is PURRING. He LOVES being around the baby ... as evidenced here, he can't get enough.
2. Benjamin likes to talk ... and watch tv. He was watching Sunday night football with Daddy, just talking away! I couldn't resist pulling out the video camera because he was just so excited. Perhaps, someday, if he does choose to play football, his love for it will be documented early on :) 1-12 Benjamin Talks Football It's not just football. Ben actually adores Mickey Mouse (just like his sister). Basically, he can be screaming like all get out, and you turn on Mickey ... he'll stop immediately. As soon as he hears "Hey Everybody, it's me ..." He ceases his crying and is completely focused. We're gonna have to monitor his tv time, I know. By the time he's 6, he'll probably have to earn his half hours of television by reading (just like my brother did!)
3. Pulling and Grabbing
Ben gets into ANYTHING. It doesn't matter what it is (his sister's toys, typical "boy" toys, the food I'm feeding him, etc), he gets into it all. Ben will pull and grab anything in the vicinity of his hands (even if it means falling over in the process). He will pull headers in order to get to anything he can find. This past Saturday morning, the two kids were playing on the floor with their Dad. Ben was grabbing and pulling (as he does) fist after fist of Daddy's hair. Daddy tolerated it all very well, and Ben just kept on doing what he always does ... Pull and Grab!
4. He's a Sippy Drinker
Ben hates drinking bottles. Yup, the time spent snuggling with Mommy right when he wakes up and before he goes to bed is probably over. He won't take all of his formula out of a bottle because he just gets sick of sitting. He's not quite reliable enough to allow him to feed himself entirely. BUT, we have to let him try or he gets so completely irritated that he just bucks and shakes and shouts. He's much happier if you give him his sippy and let him do it himself ... Incidentally, Kayleigh went through the same phase in her development ... only she was 11 months old! Welcome to a quick learning boy, Momma!!! He's ready to get going.
5. Ben's a boy who knows what he wants.
The pediatrician gives us a chart of things to expect in the this 3 month period. One of the items says, "May cry when a toy is taken away." As in, Ben will learn to be able to find something he wants and get frustrated when he's not allowed to have it. Enter: Daddy and Mommy's iPhone (or Kayleigh's special toys and blankets). He will get so angry when you take his "treasures" away, but the minute you give it back, the screaming stops. It's so funny ... We didn't give this back to him, but it's illustrating that he's "hitting" one of the pediatrician's markers. 1-17 Benny wants an iPhone
6. Ben wants to move
When our baby girl was this age, she was content to simply lay on the floor (in fact, she really wasn't even rolling yet). Ben is a completely different story. He's a roller and will push himself up quite high on his belly with his arms. After he gets himself some good height, he'll try to push with his knees. He'll roll partially to one side and push with the opposite leg. Then, when he can't get where he wants to, he'll try to the opposite side. After 30-40 minutes to trying to move forward, he'll get frustrated and ask for help. As soon as we lay him in the crib he rolls to his tummy and works on pushing with his legs again ... he just wants to crawl. I don't think it's going to be too long ... but in the meantime, he's working on standing. He loves the jumper, and he loves it when his daddy helps him out ... I know it won't be long before he's off and walking too ... sigh ... my baby is growing up.
7. The Stereotypical "Boy" Toys
Ben got lots of "boy" type toys at Christmas. He got trucks, tool benches, little earth movers, etc. I thought for sure it'd take a while for him to get interested in "typical" boy stuff. I was wrong. He holds a truck almost constantly while in his exersaucer. By far his favorite stand alone toy is his tool bench. He even steals Kayleigh's lego blocks because he just wants to "build" with them. I think right now he mostly enjoys the blocks because he can make all kinds of noise. But, nevertheless, it seems to suggest that legos will likely be a long term passion.
Happy 8 months, Benjamin Steven! You light up our days (even your sister's). We love you so much.
AND ... here's a fun comparison picture ... My babies side by side ... at the same age.
[caption id="attachment_993" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Kayleigh Elaine, 8 months - July 2009"]
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[caption id="attachment_994" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Benjamin Steven, 8 months - January 2011"]
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