17 Months

I'm a few days late with this one.  While Ben and I were taking Ladybird for her walk this morning, I had one of those moments where reality just takes your breath away. I have a toddler! A walking, breathing, communicating, 17 month old. Everything about his first few days is still so incredibly vivid for me that it's hard to believe it's been well over a year since his arrival. I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed by this miracle tearing around my house:)

He's still climbing everything non-stop, only now he's moved on to bigger and better challenges. The kitchen chairs and couch are soooo 16 months. Don't freak out grandmas, but Ben has figured out that if you stand on the handle of the warming drawer of the oven, you can just peer over the top and reach all the burners. Also, did you know that if you push a chair or stool over to the dresser, you can climb up and reach all the contraband that mama and daddy put up there to keep out of your reach? He hasn't figured out how to climb OUT of his crib yet, thank God, (I'm not ready for non-containment) but scaling the outside is easy peasy. Also, I guess crawling down the steps is for babies, because Ben thinks he can just walk down them like the big boys. After a few falls, he reached a compromise with himself--the first step is no hands, but on the next two or three he'll hold onto the railing. It's working out so far. He's going through a fussy phase. Everything is heartbreaking for a 17 month old. Sitting down, putting on your shoes, diaper changes, naps, not being allowed to play with mama's makeup, put daddy's toothbrush in your mouth, throw things in the toilet, throw all your Duplos down the stairs just to see what happens, etc... If he weren't so darned cute I'd be pretty mad! 

Here are a few pictures from the last week. I got him these rain boots at Wal-Mart, and they were a great purchase. They're perfect for mucking about in the back yard. He loves to help daddy take Ladybird out and get the paper in the mornings.

A walk in the park

On Tuesday we picked up Joel on his lunch break, and went to Greenfield Lake Park. We saw lots of ducks and one BIG goose.

Benjamin thought they all wanted to be friends, and tried to chase them.

Then he and Daddy went for a little walk around the lake....

....where we saw one of THESE.

Ya'll can still come and visit. We won't let the gators get you, I promise!

Glorious 80 degrees!

Right now it's 80 degrees in Wilmington, and it feels fantastic. Benjamin and I took Ladybird for a nice, long walk this morning, and I have the porch windows open. I think this weather is supposed to stick around for a couple of days. Hallelujah!

I can't believe September is here already. Summer is always so busy for us because of house guests (which we LOVE, by the way) but it's nice to slow down a little bit. Ben and I went to the beach on Friday, and it was empty except for toddlers and retirees. PERFECT! This is the time of year you want to be in Wilmington. All the tourists have gone home, and the older kids are in school. I saw a group of older people just sitting on the beach with their chairs in the circle, talking and watching the waves. How awesome. No kids to run after, no work responsibilities demanding your attention...nothing to do but dig your toes in the sand and enjoy the breeze. I can't wait for retirement!

Here's a transcript of a recent conversation between Joel and Benjamin:

Joel: Ben, what does a cow say?

Ben: MMMMMM!!

Joel: What does a dog say?

Ben: (sticks his tongue out a pants like a dog)

Joel: What does a Benjamin say?

Ben: DUCK

Ben's new word is "hello." He says it like a question, "ah-wo?" Every time he sees a phone he points and says "ah-wo? ah-wo?" I think it's the cutest. What's not particularly cute, however, is the fact that he's decided to attach himself to my leg on a permanent basis. This is a new thing. I alway hate it when people say, "oh, boys do this, girl do that" but I've heard that boys tend to be more clingy. Is this true? I've also had many other moms tell me that girls are more content to play by themselves, and can focus on activities for longer periods of time. I certainly was NOT like that, so I can't really attest to that observation. I will say that sometimes I just have to lie on the couch, close my eyes, and pretend like I don't hear all of the banging and crashing. Mr. B.'s new activity is piling all of his toys in a box or laundry basket, then driving that basket furiously down the hall. BANG! Sometimes he throws the whole thing down the stairs. CRASH! After he's exhausted that game, he likes to find something to climb. I'm afraid a trip to the emergency room might soon be in order. I've left the room for a minute, only to return and find him standing on the arm of the chair, standing on the back of the couch, sitting on top of the kitchen table and trying to put flowers in his mouth. We still have his push toy in the living room, and the other day he climbed on top of it and tried to stand up. On a push toy. With wheels. This boy is going to give me a heart attack!