About Bitty Ben

I was reading Laura's blog and decided that I don't devote as much time to Benjamin as I do to Kimberly in writing. So here is an update on the little Monkey Butt.

What a Pill! Boy is he a handful. He is finally using walking as his main mode of transportation. He has also figured out how to stand up unassisted in the middle of the room. He can run too but if he goes really fast he falls. He is now 13 months and I haven't had him in for a checkup, but at his last one he was just a little squirt like Marissa. 20th% weight and 25th% height.

He loves to get into anything that he shouldn't be touching. I know what you are thinking, this is pretty normal for toddlers right? Probably, but I would say his attraction to dangerous or breakable things is much higher than most. He is also developing quite the little attitude which he obviously gets from spending so much time with his sister. He is perfecting the temper-tantrum and "fake cry for attention".

Benjamin is the king of defiance. He understands "no" perfectly well. But understanding isn't the problem. The issue is compliance. If you tell him no, he stops, looks at you, flashes a big grin and then promptly does it again. Even with a scolding or a swat on the diaper. Sometimes he waits until he thinks you aren't looking before he does it again. That is my favorite. Who would have thought that a 13 month old understood the concept of being sneaky?

Like most boys, Bitty Ben is a THRILL SEEKER! He is constantly climbing on things and people and he loves wrestling and being thrown in the air. The higher and dizzier he gets, the better.

Some of his other favorite activities include housework. "speed laundry" consists of pulling all of the folded laundry out of a dresser drawer faster than I can put it back in. "doing the dishes" is similar to speed laundry but instead involves pulling all of the dishes out of the dishwasher faster than I can put them back in. His version of "cleaning the floor" requires crawling through the swept pile and then eating the lovely treasures out of that pile faster than I can sweep them up (note: this may be done with the broom in his hand while pushing it back and forth in the rest of the mess that I haven't gotten to yet). "scrubbing the toilet" is obviously done by bare hand and usually results in the option of mopping the floor with the toilet water (again with bare hands). And finally "de-cluttering" is his way of taking all items off of the bookshelf and out of desk drawers and throwing them on the office floor so that the bookshelves and desk look clean and spacious. What a big helper I have!

Benjers or Buddy Buddy (Kimberly's nicknames for him) is also perfecting the art of inflicting physical pain which he finds highly amusing. Be careful for those of you who will be seeing us in the near future. If you hold him facing you he will most likely slap you in the face and then laugh at you. I have tried to break him of this but when I tell him no, he laughs. When I give him a little smack on his hand afterward, he laughs. And often times the disciplinary action is followed by a double handed slap and a giggle. He also loves to pull hair, the bigger the handful of hair he gets out, the harder he laughs. It is amazing that Kimberly still has hair at all. Alan gets particularly frustrated when Benjamin wanders into the office and purposely pulls out desk drawers so that they will hit Alan in the knees. And don't even think about saying "ouch" or giving a painful grimace. That only gives him fuel. This being said, it is no surprise that his way of showing affection is a head butt. Not a hug, or a kiss, or a snuggle, but a bonafied head butt. We call it a "bonk" and if he is in the right mood, he'll do it on command.

Lastly, he likes to sing. Kimberly sings all the time and lately I have noticed that when she sings he often attempts to sing with her. Most commonly they sing "once upon a dream". You know the song from sleeping beauty? Yeah that is a favorite around here. They actually sing it to each other. It is pretty dang cute.

Benjamin has a few words now. Daddy, Dodger (my mom's dog), Hi (usually accompanied by a wave), Jackie, peek-a-boo (which was his first word besides daddy) and Ah-yee. That last one is either Mommy or Kimberly. I'm not sure but I think it's Kimberly.

He sure is fun and wild. And super cute. That is the hardest part. Sometimes he is so naughty but then he flashes those baby blues and that mischievous grin and you just can't be mad!