Ben is almost 2 1/2!

Ben is not quite 2 1/2 yet, but who knows what I'll have going on over the next few days. I figure I'll start writing this now.

Ben has changed SOOOO much and amazes me every day. I know that in another 6 months, it will happen again....and again after that. I can't imagine what he will be saying and doing in another few years. Anyway...here are the updates on what's going on with him....

- Ben is a chatterbox. He says all kinds of things. Most frequently, he's narrating the world or retelling something that happened that day or even months ago. He says all kinds of things. Sometimes, his usage of words is funny....but he's very consistent. "Ben go in there mall." "Mommy, read it book." A lot of times it's a whole story told in random words: "Red car. Beeping. Making noise. Orange lights blinking. Outside window." Can you tell what story he's telling? This happened weeks ago and it's still a major topic of conversation. He also says "please" "thank you" and "I'm sorry." He doesn't always say them....but he says them enough. And he actually says "I'm sorry" a lot when it's not even necessary....like when I stub my toe: "I sorry, Mommy."

- Ben is finally fantastic at playing on his own at home. He often wants us to play with him or "read it book," but he can definitely entertain himself. Some of his favorite things to play with are pots and other cooking utensils from the kitchen with water or pretzels or something to "cook" with. He will also play for a long time by putting "things" (e.g., change, rocks, necklaces, chalk) into a cup, bag or bowl.

- Ben can count to 14....although he often skips 7 & 8. He also can say the alphabet.....but consistently misses about 6 or 7 letters. He can identify colors....somedays it's only a few, but the last few days, he's showed me that he knows most of them....and occasionally just chooses not to answer. Also, if he doesn't want to answer, he will just look at me and say "thinking, Mommy."

- Ben sleeps in a big boy bed and is decent about going to bed. He still gets out between 1 -4 times, but it's manageable for now. He knows his old room is "the baby's room" and seems to be ok with all that....for now. We'll see how he really feels when the baby is HERE.

- Ben got his 2 year molars (without me really realizing it). Minor celebration here.....no more teeth for a long time!

- Ben's imagination is something that caught me off guard and amazes me. He pretends all kinds of things and responds to pretend things that I make up. He can play a whole basketball game without a ball (one that I'm much better at than with a real ball), he plays pretend instruments, and plays with his stuffed animals as if they are babies (feeding, rocking, checking on them, etc.). Similar to Ben's imagination is his memory. He remembers things we did a long time ago and recounts them to me. He also remembers things like where he put his shoes, which is very helpful. :)

- Ben has become obsessed with trucks. For about 3 weeks straight we read him the same truck book two times (because he gets two books) before nap and before bed. As a result, it's hysterical to drive around town with him now because he points out and names all kinds of trucks ("Car transporter!" "Big container truck!" "Backhoe loader!") The trucks are also edited by his experiences: "Phone guy van." began after the Comcast guy came in a van to fix our phones rather than in the telephone repair truck pictured in his book. (This is also how I realized today that he knows more colors than I thought he did....."Red cement mixer, Mommy!") Nick's so proud of me for learning the names of trucks! By the way, has anyone ever heard of a tipper truck?

I feel like I could keep writing, but there's too much. I hope I never forget what Ben's like right now. (He does drive me crazy sometimes: We are currently trying to teach him that babies cry because they cannot talk and because he CAN talk, he doesn't need to cry. Apparently, this is a difficult lesson. Also, he's definitely testing limits. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to be punishing a giggling 2 year old! (Sorry, if this is my formal record of Ben's life, I gotta have some of the bad stuff in here in addition to the good stuff!)) Anyway, regardless of that stuff, he's so fun, funny, sweet, loving, and good natured. We couldn't be more blessed.