Blog of Ben

Why Mister Ben lives life in frequent disappointment these days

blogofben — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:09:38 +0000

His most frequent question: “Can I have candy?”

His most frequent suggestion: “Let’s open presents!”

Ben: Pilgrim, Pirate, but unfailingly Polite

blogofben — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:16:48 +0000

Ben (putting on construction paper Pilgrim hat): I’m a pirate! Can I say “Arrr!”?

Lara: Sure!

Ben: Arrr!!!

Ben finds his way out of a corner

blogofben — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:26:07 +0000

Mommy was getting Ben dressed this morning; she had three shirts with her for Ben to choose from. Ben, however, was in a bit of a mood. She offered him the polar bear shirt, but was rebuked with “I don’t like polar bears!” Next up, a striped shirt. “I don’t like stripes!” She offered him the fire truck shirt, but “I don’t like fire trucks!” “That’s silly,” explained Mommy, “you love fire trucks.” (They do come right below monster trucks on his list.) But he was adamant. So she tried again, “How about the polar bear?”

“That’s not a polar bear,” he declared. “That’s a chicken!”

“Do you like chickens?”

“Yes! I do!”

And so the shirt was chosen… but when asked later, he admitted it was a polar bear (which it very much was.)

We pause for identification

blogofben — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:24:25 +0000

“This is not a Muppet,” says the Benster, unprompted by anything, “it’s just a monster truck!” And he is correct.

Ben’s Halloween

blogofben — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:19:59 +0000

(WHOOPS, this was supposed to be posted Tuesday, I missed that it had not gone through.)

Last night was Ben’s first time trick-or-treating. He rather liked the entire process, particularly the swag that was gained.

Who are the candidates for the number two position?

blogofben — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:40:22 +0000

Ben, to a just-removed-and-wrapped diaper:

“Let’s open this up – let’s see who’s in there!”

Sum, ergo no cogito

blogofben — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:36:03 +0000

I’m striding through the grocery store, young Mr. Ben in the shopping cart seat. Saw something which might be good for dinner. “That’s something to think about,” I said aloud.

“That’s something to think about,” echoed Ben, in the way he sometimes does these days.

“Are you thinking?” I asked him.

“NO!” he responded, a look of glee upon his face. Then, after a pause, “I’m Benji!”

Mister Ben’s recipe for cupcakes

blogofben — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:36:08 +0000

Take one teacup of bathwater. Add one oversized superball.

That is all.

Types of YouTube videos Ben demands

blogofben — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 06:04:08 +0000

Trucks
Babies
Miss Piggy

That is all.

Ben turned two

blogofben — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:55:03 +0000

Ben turned two last week. He never seem to have a grasp on the concept of “birthday”. He did, however, grasp the concept of “present”, enjoyed unwrapping them, enjoyed playing with them (his favorites being the Cars Lego set courtesy of the Delaware Crew, and a dump truck that moves and makes noises at the push of a button), and requested more.

The bigger change of the day for him was at his day care, as he got booted up from the “fabulous frogs” class to the “funky monkeys”. Entering the monkey classroom meant cutting through a classroom of older kids, which cowed him a bit, but the moment he hit the classroom and saw that they had both blocks and a train table, he was happy, and he appears to be taking very well to it (although he is still anxious about being left there each day.)

Ben has turned into a “I’d rather do it myself” kind of kid. I’ve known two year olds to climb into their dining room child seat themself; I’ve never known one to then buckle themself in. We carefully avoid trying to measure his development to see if he’s “on schedule”, but life sometimes gives us the suggestion that he’s a bit ahead of the curve. In speech, that’s pretty clear…. but the other day I had took him to the docor for a head bump (looked worse than it was, all is fine), and when the doctor signaled that what she was about to do might pinch a little, he echoed her pinch signal back at her – didn’t seem thaaaat impressive to me, but she was clearly taken aback by his fine motor skills.

He is, by default, a happy dude, and he gets into these gloriously goofy moods where he wants to tickle daddy, or to make faces, or to just run headlong into people with glee. He’s picking up a bit of daddy’s kosher hammishness. May he retain this happiness for a long time!