Something about Ben...

I know it probably seems like it's all about the baby... but here's an update about the big boy-- and boy, he sure is now!


Benjamin had his long-overdue 18-month check-up on Monday (he's 23 months)... and, of course, as logic would indicate, his vaccinations were overdue as well. So he had a whole lineup of shots to get caught up on... six, to be exact. *grimace*

That was certainly an experience.

First off, Isaac, being only a month old, was with me as well-- I still haven't left him with anyone yet, and I didn't think about how much harder it would be to comfort Ben after his shots while also taking care of Isaac...

Then, when we got there, despite how long it has been since Benjamin has actually seen the doctor, he almost seemed to remember it. That, or he somehow has an instinctive fear of medical environments. He was fine going into the clinic and checking in, but when we turned down the hallway towards the pediatric area, he wiggled his hand out of mine and plopped down on the floor, whining. He flat-out refused to walk, so I ended up picking him up and carrying him into the waiting room, along with Isaac in his car seat. (Yes, that's tricky, not to mention heavy. Yes, I've had to do it several times, often up three flights of stairs to our apartment. You can just call me "SuperMommy".)

But then, when we got called in, at the sight of the nurse coming out for him, he did the same thing, sitting on the floor acting scared. He was NOT happy with the nurse having to weigh and measure him, it was so sad, poor Benjamin, all naked and just sobbing on the little baby scale, trying his hardest to get back into my arms. And when he finally held still enough to get his weight and I picked him back up, he literally clung to me, legs and arms wrapped tight around me like a little monkey... I was so surprised that he reacted that way, he's ordinarily never like that with new places or people.

He actually did fine with his doctor when she came in-- she's really great, when she was listening to his heartbeat, she asked him if she could "hear the doggies barking", and that got his attention!

But then, the worst part, the shots... I had to hold him down on my lap while he got three in each thigh. When the first one went in, he kind of jumped and squealed, looking down at his leg-- then turned his head toward me like he was asking me to stop it. He started crying, "Mama! Mama!"... and the part that made me tear up and feel so bad was when, about halfway through, his cry turned to "No, Mama! No, Mama!" I felt so terrible!

Oh, and he is now 29 lb (I actually thought he was heavier, home scales put him closer to 32 lb, and I think the weight might have actually been off because he was grabbing onto me so much, but I don't know), 33.5 inches tall (or 2' 9.5"), and his head circumference was 20.5". In percentiles, he's heavier than 7 out of 10 boys his age, and shorter than 6 out of 10, and, if there were such a thing, his head would be bigger than about 12 out of 10, lol. His head measurement is just way above the line on the chart... I always said he had a huge head-- I think it's just to make room for all those brains.




Anyway... other than a tough day at the doctor, he's doing wonderful-- still my sweet, smart boy (well... sweet most of the time, he IS almost two after all).

He really has been surprising me with how fast he's been learning lately. We've kind of been working on the alphabet for a little while, and all of a sudden, he can name quite a few letters on sight, and he recognizes writing as letters almost everywhere-- he'll just randomly burst out with "A! B! D! F! Y! A! C!", when he sees signs, or even the letters on, say, the car, or a diaper.

The other day, he was looking at a card that my grandma sent us that said "BABY BOY" on blocks on the front, and he pointed to each block in order, and said, "B, O, Y!"

And we're beginning on numbers, too... he doesn't seem to get 1, 2, 3, etc, the beginning numbers-- but once we get to 5, he can say 6, 7, 8, 9, and sometimes 10 with me!

He's so smart, I'm so proud of him!

Oh, yesterday I watched him bring a box of Nutrigrain granola bars, that I give him for a snack sometimes, over to the ferret cage, set it on top of it so Boots came up and was sniffing up at it, then pick it up again and, with a serious face, say, "Dishis mine. Mine." As if he were just keeping her informed, letting her know so she wasn't confused.

Pictures

I love his grin! (This particular grin was working double-duty and chewing apple slices at the same time-- which made his dimple even more prominent!)

I think he's ready for a gymnastics class! Probably not one likeNatti's, though... JUST gymnastics, I don't think Daniel would be too fond of the idea of his son doing ballet and tap!

Yes, that's Isaac's arm... no, he wasn't as close as the picture looks... and no, no one was harmed in the making of this photograph.

He is such a good big brother! He's so cute with "his baby", when I lay Isaac down on the floor for tummy time, he always lies down next to him and talks to him, or just looks at him, or, as in this picture, just sweetly pats his head.