Benjamin

By now he has lots of nicknames: Benj, B-Boy, Buddy, Benja-booty-boo.  He's 17 months old, so still a toddler, but also such an independent person.

His smile is one of those that everyone comments on.  When he smiles, it's obvious everywhere - his mouth, his eyes, his cheeks, his forehead, even his ears.  He loves to play laughing games with his sister and mom, and he loves it when his thighs are tickled.  He still thoroughly enjoys peek-a-boo, but now prefers to be the one "hiding" the other person's face.

He is such a good picker-upper.  You say, "Benjamin, it's clean-up time" and he immediately picks up his trucks and puts them in their spots.  If you say, "Benjamin, it's nap time", he will start cleaning up and will not want to come with you until he's decided the room is clean enough.  Besides trucks and balls, his current favorite toys - the kids' broom and dustpan.

He has an inclusive heart.  If one person gets a hug, he wants to make sure everyone gets one.  If one person is putting on shoes, he'll get out the other people's shoes and try to gather everyone up.  One night Benjamin woke up at 2 a.m. and was crying for water.  After his drink, I said good night and went back to bed.  Two minutes later he's crying again.  I go back and he is insistent that I give his sister, who is sleeping a few feet away from him, a drink.  It took me awhile to convince him that I did not need to wake Helena up for a drink of water!

He's a boy of few words but still full of communication.  He says baa (ball), bye-bye, wa (water), meh (milk), hi, and uh-oh.  Through body language, he can ask why and where, plus express a bunch of thoughts.

He loves hats, mittens, bike helmets, and boots.  He loves to put things in the garbage for us, which we thought was great until we noticed that things are starting to go missing.  He's finally only crying for a few seconds after we leave him in the nursery.  He's figuring out how to put Duplos together and loves to play construction site.  He loves to do whatever his sister is doing, and always wants to be on the counter watching when I'm cooking.  He loves to stand on the stool and he detests having his teeth brushed. 

I wish he would stay at this stage forever and I can't wait to see what he's going to be like 3 months from now.