Benjamin Bug

Slides!

2009-01-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

He is obsessed with slides. Makes him happy as a clam.

Party Tricks: Animal Noises

2008-12-09T18:51:00.003-05:00

Here are three animals in the Bug's repertoire: the snake, the hippo (which are kinda smushed together in this video) and the coup de grace -- the monkey. He has recently started doing dinosaurs too. . .

Photos from Thanksgiving. . .

2008-11-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

No pictures of the holiday turkey here (it was deboned, well-brined, and yummy) -- but some new pictures of the Bug with a leather chair AND books this time.

Pumpkin Festival

2008-11-30T20:54:00.000-05:00

These are photos from a pumpkin festival we went to last month -- mostly we played around in the big haybarn. . . though we did get a little sheep-petting in too.

Update for the Grandparents: Stats

2008-11-30T20:49:00.002-05:00

At the latest doctor's appointment -- Ben weighed 27 pounds, 7 ounces. He is 33 inches long and his head is 47.5 cm around.

Best Elvis Picture Ever

2008-11-05T14:23:00.000-05:00

"Where's my peanut butter and banana sandwich?"

Elvis Is In the House!

2008-10-29T13:49:00.000-04:00

We dressed Ben up in his Halloween costume for a local park Halloween event last weekend. He was strangely content in his red cape and gold belt -- and even wore the black wig for awhile, but we had mercy and took that off. None of these pics do justice to just how great he looked (people would stop and laugh when they realized he was Elvis) but I love how happy he is in the swing photos (despite the fact that they're out of focus. . . )

Party Tricks: By the Powers of Greyskull!

2008-10-28T16:54:00.002-04:00

This is a video from a few months ago, when the Bug was a year old. It was the start of a variety of tricks he could pull off . . . of course he didn't necessarily perform them ALL that well, since he was on film. . . but it's still fun. These days we have lots more party tricks. Indeed, I think he even learned how to walk finally today!

Bug and Chair

2008-10-14T16:50:00.000-04:00

The Bug has gotten very into rolling around on big chairs. It's fun to watch and it kinda makes me hope that he'll really enjoy the same kind of lounging in the library reading thing that Steve and I do. On the other hand, the last picture in this series makes me think perhaps it's really just that he's a ham who's destined for beefcake model photo shots.

Things In Our Future #7

2008-10-14T13:15:00.003-04:00

This in from my friend Jessica: Her son Seth asked her -- as sons apparently do -- if he could marry her when he grew up. Jessica explained that he couldn't but that she was sure he would marry a very nice girl. He said, "Yes, I will. I will marry a nice girl. . . Named Mommy!"

Orange

2008-10-14T13:13:00.000-04:00

A picture of the Bug in a new outfit his grandmother bought him. . . we now know that orange is clearly his color. . . (And yes, we seem to have a theme of baby pictures with his mouth wide open. Apparently he's a happy kid.)

2008-10-14T13:10:00.000-04:00

We spent a lovely weekend in West Virginia with some friends at their beautiful farm. The Bug got lots of ourdoor time, and also got practice "playing nicely" with their son Nicholas.

Bug Pool Party

2008-10-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

Ben had a fantastic time playing in the water for his first birthday party (which was really just an excuse for us to have all our friends over to swim and eat yummy bbq. . . ) Here he is swimming with his grandfather and aunt, and playing more patty cake with his grandmother.

Party Tricks: Patty Cake, Patty Cake. . .

2008-10-14T12:57:00.000-04:00

One of the things Ben learned to do while we were on vacation is throw up his hands at the "Baby and Me!" section of Patty Cake. . . this never ever seems to get old for him.

France, Part 2

2008-10-14T12:54:00.001-04:00

We just couldn't be any further behind in updating this blog. . . so here are tons of new (well, new to you . . . ) photos! These are some more from our trip to France when the Bug was 11 months old.

On the Perils of Learning Sign Language

2008-09-22T12:54:00.004-04:00

Well, I am very very excited because -- after a brief two weeks of his clapping in order to get food from us back when he was 9 months old, and not another bit of sign language since -- the Bug has officially learned the hand sign for "more." He got it down pat 2 weeks ago, and now signs it at me mostly when he wants food, but sometimes for an encore reading of a book as well.

It doesn't always mean things are easier, however. When I was driving along a few days ago, every time I turned around to check on him, he lifted up his hands and signed "more" and I basically just kept throwing Cookie Monster cookies back at him for the whole drive. This morning, I made the mistake of eating some left over Pad Thai and feeding him some of it. Afterwards, he kept spotting the takeout carton in the trash, lifting it up, handing it to me, and signing "more" at me. I kept having to open the carton and show him that there wasn't any left.

This went on for 3 hours.

But there are advantages to his actually communicating his needs, right? No matter how, well, needy they seem to be. . .

More photos soon!

2008-09-22T12:54:00.001-04:00

I promise! Later this week.

David Foster Wallace & Us

2008-09-15T22:54:00.005-04:00

Yes, it's been quite awhile since we posted anything. Lots been going on (when is it not?) around here this past month. But one thing we did want to note is the sad, sad loss of one of our favorite and important writers. Important not only for his unique style, wit, and astounding wordplay - but also because, as many of you may know, David Foster Wallace brought us together in a tangential, footnote-laden way. The story is long and sordid; I think it may be in a post further down.

We do have a taped voicemail of him congratulating us on our wedding. I believe he may have actually used the word "horrified." But that makes it all the more precious because who (else) would use that word to describe a wedding? We really need to go find that tape and digitize it.

There's not much that can be said here that hasn't been said in the rest of the mediaverse. So I'll just thank you, David, for the finite impossibility of Infinite Jest, for cracking me up , and for helping us find each other.

France, Part I

2008-08-04T14:10:00.001-04:00

For the first part of our glorious vacation, we were in St. Tropez. The Bug got to live outdoors for a week, which made him pretty happy. It made his parents pretty happy too. . .

. . . the Bug also helped celebrate his grandfather's birthday on the Fourth of July. . .

. . .and he discovered these fabulous French cookies that kept him entertained for hours on end and made him so content that he even fell asleep eating one.

Things in Our Future #6

2008-07-25T08:46:00.003-04:00

Catherine just told me this story that happened to almost-three-year-old Will (who loves trains), while we were away in France. Will had a particularly tough evening one night when he insisted that Catherine put on Thomas the Tank Engine immediately. ("I want to watch Trains! Right now. I want trains! Put it on now!")

Fifteen minute of watching "Trains" is part of his nightly going to bed ritual, but his mom was not particularly excited about his barking tone. She's been working hard lately on his getting his "may I's" and "pleases" and "thank yous." So she whisked him off into his bedroom to have a serious conversation with him.

Will cried a bit, and his mom insisted over and over that he couldn't demand to do things, he had to ask for them: "It's not a statement. It's a question. Do you understand? It's a question." Once, Will had calmed down, he and his mother emerged from his bedroom, for round #2.

A teary-eyed Will looked up at Catherine and said, "I want to watch trains. . . It's a question!"

Party Tricks: Fish Face!

2008-07-25T08:43:00.001-04:00

We are just back from a glorious, two-week trip to France, and I will put up more photos soon. Besides eating just a whole bunch of bread, bread, and more bread, the Bug learned a lot of new tricks this trip. Here's his fish face!

Separation

2008-07-02T09:03:00.001-04:00

I was away last week for my cousin's wedding and I left The Bug home. I think it was harder on me than it was on Ben. Not only did he get extra special Dad time, but he got lots of grandma time.

New Toys

2008-07-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

Steve has been muttering around for weeks about how the Bug needs blocks, and balls, and big boy toys. So he finally got online last week and got him some. Ben loves them. . . and, of course, you know exactly what he thinks is the best way to play with them -- into the mouth!

Things in Our Future #5

2008-06-30T12:41:00.002-04:00

I called up my friend Rebecka the other day and asked how she was. Her response: "Well, I'm in the middle of nap negotiations at the moment. My daughter is currently lying in her bed singing a little song she made up called My Mom Does Not Like Or Love Me."

(I have to say it's the "or" that shows the true budding songwriting genius.)

Second Baseball Game

2008-06-23T12:27:00.000-04:00

Here's Ben and his Grandma B. at his second baseball game. You remember the first, right? The baby was hot, tired, and yet remarkably well-behaved. (And the Nats, unfortunately, lost.)