16 months (well, almost 17 months)

Last night Ben decided his toys needed some rearranging. Mimi gave him this little play tent, which has become the perfect spot for "displaying" his collection. He spent several minutes walking back and forth from his bookshelves to the tent, placing each item inside separately. 

By the way, have you noticed I finally started putting shirts on the boy? Unfortunately, I keep forgetting about the pants. Darn! I'm always missing something.

Sorry I've been lax about the blog. I haven't had much energy lately, and the blog is definitely taking a backseat. I think it's that end of summer feeling everyone gets. Once it cools off a little I might feel more inspired. Anyway...that means I forgot to write a 16 month update! So, here it goes...

Not to brag or anything, but Joel and I are always amazed at how much Benjamin understands. I think every parent goes through this at some point, but we just can't believe he comprehends the majority of what we are saying. The other night he was pointing to the characters on his pajamas and saying "hm?" so I said, "that's a dinosaur. A dino." His eyes instantly lit up, and he frantically motioned to one of his books. I picked it up, and he turned the pages until he reached the one he wanted, and then pointed to a picture of a rhino. WHAT! I mean, it's not a dinosaur, but I'm impressed that he heard a similar word and knew which book and page to look at. He loves to be read to, and when it's story time he painstakingly looks over every single book. I've actually seen him run his hand over the spines, pause at a book he thinks he wants to read, then change his mind and keep his hand going until he gets to the REAL choice. Just like a mini-adult! 

I've been working with him on talking a little more. Joel and I think he just needs more encouragement about trying new words. His vocabulary has broadened a little bit, and now he says ball, mama, dada, duck, dog, ladybird (bebe!), book (ba), banana (baba), and flower. He also makes "vroom" sounds when he sees a car or truck, and says "MMMMM" when he sees a cow. He has also recently started to use the words "no" (oh joy)) and "mine", which he says like a question--"muh?" I've worked with him on sign language for several months, but he's never really been interested. He does the sign for "all done", and will sometimes sign "more," but that's about it. When he's hungry he just gets his bib and stands next to his high chair, and when he's thirsty he goes to the refrigerator. Works for me! His new "sign" is to very quickly point to an item and then to himself, as in, "give me that." Even thought he's not talking or signing very much, I don't feel too frustrated because I know he understands quite a bit. I can tell him we're going to see daddy, going to the store, changing his diaper, taking a bath, making dinner, taking a nap, etc..and he always knows. 

At this point he's developing so quickly it's difficult to write about everything! I'm personally having a hard time with the switch from babyhood to toddlerhood. I've noticed that Ben has started to run away whenever I say his name, probably because he realizes that I'm going to tell him he can't do something. I need to focus more on what he is allowed to do, rather than instantly saying no. It's a hard habit to break!  I'm such a jumpy and energetic person, and when I'm tired or stressed it's easy for me to start acting anxious or nervous. I don't want Benjamin to feel that way, so I'm focusing more on being calm. I need to realize that messes and accidents are not a big deal. Truthfully, I feel like I'm not a very good mom a lot of the time. But when I look at Benjamin and see how healthy and smart he is, I realize we've had a good start. I'm so lucky to be a mama!