The Best Part of the Best Part of the Week

We started a new music session today, and Ben has gotten even more intense about his participation and his love for Miss Amy. He stands right in front of her and sings as loudly as he can and imitates every movement she makes. His favorite part of the class may be the point where he snags what he sees as the best drum and plays it far away from everyone else so no one can steal it--which is what he's doing in this picture.

Ben started Music Together exactly two years ago, before he could crawl or talk. Now he is all over the place. . . And today Josie started for the first time, at the same age Ben was. Since this class has long been special Mom and Ben time, he tolerated the interloper awfully well. Well, I mean who can have eyes for anything other than Miss Amy?

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Halloween!

All Hail the New Crib Tent

About a week before Josie was born, Ben learned how to climb out of his crib. Ben's crib is the kind that turns into a toddler bed, so we converted it just a day or so before Josie arrived.

. . . which meant that not only has Ben been dealing with the emotional backlash of a new sibling, but he's been severely sleep deprived--climbing out of bed is SO much more fun than taking a nap. After a month of doing all the things one is supposed to do to teach them to stay in bed, I had just one (or 21) too many days of being woken up by a very-proud-of-himself toddler at 5 AM.

I put that crib right back together and got a crib tent -- and we prepared ourselves for the worst: kicking, screaming, tantrums, hitting the tent, anything, as soon as he realized he was going to be locked in.

Of course, nothing of the kind happened. When he saw the crib was back together he went up to it like an old friend. It was almost like he'd been waiting to have it back. When he saw the tent, he thought it was the best toy ever, demanded that we zip him in there and then bid us "Away!" with a summary wave of his hand. He slept incredibly soundly that night.

(Ok, he DID cry when he woke up and realized he was stuck . . . but that only lasted a day or two, and the whole household is now back to sleeping in until at least 7, and life is much much better.)

Ben in the Finger Lakes

We went up to New York last week for a full family vacation. . . The bug got immense amounts of attention, which made him blissfully happy -- but better yet, he relentlessly followed his cousins Thomas and Juliette around for a full week, and they were nice enough to actually let him.

Ben's Birthday

For Ben's second birthday we celebrated with the full cadre of nannies and their charges whom Ben plays with on a regular basis (he has this whole social life that his parents know nothing about...) He wasn't sure quite what to make of the party itself, but he seems to have gotten the concept down since. I catch him singing to himself: "Happy buhday you! Happy buhday you! Happy buhday you!" Pause. "Whoo hoo!!!"

 

Orange

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.)

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

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. . .

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

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.

France, Part I

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.

Party Tricks: Fish Face!

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

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.

Second Baseball Game

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.)

Happy Mother's Day!

The Bug on Mother's Day. (Which also happened to be the day before Steve's and my one-year anniversary. Shocking.)

The First Hair Cut

So, I finally agreed to let Steve let Micki cut the Bug's hair, but I made the mistake of letting them go off alone on the big adventure. Steve came home really excited about how well Ben had behaved, how happy he'd been sitting in his green Bumbo chair, chewing on a bottle top while Micki's scissors flashed around his head.

Steve came home excited; I practically cried.

I mean, they cut off all his hair!! I was totally unprepared. I figured a little trim to let his ears show. . . but no. All hair, gone.

Steve keeps trying to point out to me that it will grow back, but my heart is still broken.

But I guess the Bug is still kinda cute. And now that he has gotten his hair cut by his dad's stylist and they have the exact same do, they look totally identical, which is kinda cute too. . .

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Teeth

 

Look, a tooth! (If you click on the photo to enlarge it and then look very very closely. . . )

His favorite thing to do with it is bite on furniture.